Monster Hunter: Origins
by StartersoverLegends
Summary: In the world of Monster Hunter, there have always been tensions between man and beast. But when an ancient force threatens them both, can one hunter unite them with some help from the mysterious 'Origin' monsters? Join Riaku Haidoji, a seemingly normal teenager, in his quest to become a great monster hunter. Little does he know which unexpected turns await him on his adventure...
1. Dreams

**Hey there, StartersoverLegends here with a brand new story! It's been quite a while since I've written something new, so I'm excited to hear your guys' thoughts on this ;]**

 **I figured since I've written for Pokémon and FNaF, I might as well write for another one of my favorite game series- Monster Hunter. Consider it a mixture of adoration for the MH universe, and an outlet for my hype over the upcoming game MH Generations.**

 ***Name Pronunciations***

 **Riaku Haidoji - (Ree-Ya-Kuu) (Hi-Doh-Shee)**

 **Gaia - (Guy-Yuh)**

 **Without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Fire...

The first thing I can remember is fire being everywhere. I doubt that at the time I had any idea what the glowing orange lights surrounding me had been, though as I keep looking back at the memory, aged and blurry as it is, the fact is unmistakable to me now. The flickering pillars of heat and crackle around me were definitely fire.

The nearby screams of anguish and terror had all but confirmed that the ravenous flame was spreading ever faster, consuming thatch and other dry wood houses in order to grow and reach more of the villagers. I can still faintly remember shadows rushing about between the flames- some carrying buckets of water in a vain attempt at fighting the line of destruction that crept ever forward. Others would willingly run into doorways or freshly seared holes in walls, only to return momentarily with certain precious belongings.

Unfortunately, some of these brave few would never make it back out.

Given the integrity of such primitive buildings, some would simply collapse under the strain of ravenous fire that descended upon us. Many of the more dry structures would even combust upon contact with the heat, instantly trapping people and pets alike inside an ungodly vertex of flame.

It was this horrible and tragic scene that began the chronology of my memories, all the way until present day. At the time I was only a year or so old, and had been sleeping peacefully through a deceivingly tranquil night. Later events would completely erase the illusion of peace from that evening… and rather quickly at that. By the time that I had been jostled from my rest by the sounds of snapping wood and panicked shouting the situation had already become incredibly dangerous for our entire village.

Like all nights I had been in my parent's hut and sleeping soundly in my crib, which was placed beside an opening in the hardened clay wall that made up our home. This opening was a window of sorts, providing me ventilation from outside as well as providing a limited view of the village. Through that opening I suppose I would usually hear the sounds of local music, songbirds, and emperor crickets… _That_ night, though, introduced me to a new sound. One that I still hope I'll never have to hear again.

Our village, being a small and independent settlement in a contrastingly vast region of hills and plains, was very compact compared to a lot of the city-settlements like us. Even places like Pokke were larger and more branched out, if that gives a reference of size. This tight-knit setup meant that houses and shops alike were mostly within an arm's length of each other, which was great for bringing the community together. But fire breaking out? Not so good.

It was an issue that had never needed to be addressed before then, as the area my village was settled in was also beside the branch of a large river. I know this much because the river was the source of water that the villagers outside were using to fight the flames. So why then was our settlement being engulfed by flame? For a time this was fleetingly pondered by those outside as well. If any of them had actually known the answer they likely would have run like hell for their lives rather than battle the fire on foot.

Shortly after I was roused from sleep by the commotion outside my window another sound met my ears- this time from within my house. From one of the few other cramped rooms within the hut came a violent rustling, followed by voices arguing back and forth. Groggy infant that I had been, I lazily looked over at the doorway to my room only to see my father rushing past while frantically shouting something. It was only when my mother also came into view that the full effect of the dire situation hit me. She was obviously in a panic, exclaiming after my father with a look of worry and dread. Then she cut a look at me, and hesitated only for a second before quickly making her way into my room.

At that point I must have begun crying aloud as a result of the confusing and negative atmosphere around me. I know this much because my mother wasted no time in lifting me into her arms and pulling my head close to her chest, bouncing me up and down gently while whispering comfort into my ear. Maybe this would have quelled my outburst had that same expression of worry not been still residing on her beautiful face. Additionally, she wasn't looking at _me_ as she usually did when utilizing this technique, but instead was staring out of my window.

The furious glare of flame outside caused an orange outline to form on the features of her semi-tan skin and illuminated her slightly widened sapphire eyes. Curious, I turned my head to follow her gaze with tears still blurring my vision. Within an instant of doing so, before the image of the road outside could even register within my young mind, things took a drastic turn for the worst.

 _ **CRRRAAAACK!**_

With a terrible crash and a sudden scream from the woman holding me, the whole world was flipped on its side. The house was still shaking when I realized that my mother was no longer cradling me, but was instead laying on the ground with my body clutched close to hers in a defensive posture. A bright flash from outside of the hut illuminated the room around us for a moment as the shouting and panic outside suddenly turned into screams of complete terror and anguish.

My mother quickly rose to her feet and faced the window, holding me tightly as she did so. From where I was in her arms it was easy to hear an abrupt gasp escape her throat when she saw what was going on outside. She was frozen in the moment for a beat, staring outside with an expression that was growing more and more horrified with each fraction of a second. Then she quickly turned away and began running out of my room. From this new vantage point I received a fleeting view of what was going on through the window. Every single house adjacent to us was completely engulfed in a yellow-white flame that extended well past the rooftops, like a stacked bonfire. Below the billowing towers of fry were the darkened figures of scattering villagers rushing every which way…

…And above the canopy of dancing white fire was another pitch-black shadow. One that was very different from the people running down below. This one was large… _very_ large. It was probably as long as two of the burning houses, with a wingspan that likely doubled this length. As the shaded wings that lifted it above the destruction below swung up and down slowly its head remained still, fixated on its next target. This was proven by the two glowing orange orbs glaring down from above a maw brimming with fresh fire.

Even at my age, without a single clue what this beast was or what it was doing in my village, I knew to be afraid of it. It was evil, and as its glowing eyes shifted onto my home I experienced my first ever encounter with the feeling of dread.

My mother must have felt this as well as she bolted from my room to the front door. My house was still miraculously untouched by the monster's wrath, which became even more unbelievable as she threw the door open before us. Immediately a gust of intense heat and raining embers met us, though she shielded me as much as she could with her slender arms.

The next few moments would be forever engraved into my mind. As my mother ran as quickly as she could out of the house and away from the giant shadow I was exposed to the reality of death several times over. Burning and decimated corpses lined the streets in various unnatural and twisted positions. Even worse than these were the still living, who each fought to escape despite the injuries they had sustained. Some of the living even refused to part from the dead- such was the case of a middle-aged woman who desperately cradled her unmoving son with wails of despair. I was watching from over my mother's shaking shoulder when a nearby house collapsed amid a torrent of flames onto the woman, engulfing both of their bodies whole in an instant.

Many people would have trouble running away from such a horrible scene, from the cries of despair and the horrible stench of burning flesh. My mother, however, wasn't one of those people. With a series of broken sobs as her only reaction to this chaos she stared straight ahead, holding me tightly as though I were the most precious thing in our village.

Her steps were heavy and rapid as she fled the scene, one arm holding me while the other held my head tight to her breasts. However, my face wasn't trained on her- instead I was staring at my village, the entire world as I knew it, burning to ash at an incredible and terrifying pace.

It was a ground-shaking roar that finally caused me to look up from the flaming houses and bodies, as my young ears rang with the shrill cry. My mother flinched against this sound as well, but didn't react when I too let out a sudden scream. She probably figured that my outburst was a response to the destruction that we were finally exiting, as we approached the edge of the village.

The truth was much worse than that.

As she had her back turned to the majority of the ruin, running away with all of her strength, my mother couldn't see what I could as I stared past her shoulder. If she had, perhaps she would have ducked, or sought some cover. Though I doubt she would have had much time to do so.

A fireball, great in size and shining with intense heat, was hurling at us from beneath two distantly glowing eyes, set in a deadly glare. The orb of heat grew in my vision as it quickly shot over the rest of the debris to reach my fleeing mother.

I have no doubt that the fireball from that beast would have been the last thing I'd ever see had my mother not noticed it and reacted. Tightly clinching my head and bending over me in a defensive stance, my mother braced herself while pulling my tiny form toward the center of her body. A split second of peace met us after she did this, in which my mother stared down at me protectively.

And then… everything in my tiny, simplistic world changed.

There was the sound of an explosion before my mother and I were sent flying through the air, flipping wildly several feet above the ground. I heard a high-pitched shriek of pain coming from all directions as the world spun in streaks of black and fiery red.

A second impact shook us as my mother's body finally crashed into the ground, bouncing hard off of the earth before rolling to a sudden stop. Despite the fact that we had stopped moving, my head was spinning and stars danced in my vision. I must have started to cry out again because I felt two firm yet soft hands pull me closer into my mother's embrace, as a soft voice came from above me.

"Shh, Shh… It's all going to be alright…"

I raised my head to look at my mother, and only then realized the impact of what had just happened. Her hair was wild and matted with blood, some of which was now trickling down her wounded face. Deep cuts and bruises were scattered across her cheeks and forehead, while her nose was bent in an unnatural manner. One of her eyes, seconds before beautiful and blue, was now swollen shut while the other was barely focused anymore.

"Riaku…" She murmured, her voice now soft and weak, "Riaku, my dear child…"

Now her grasp on my body was weakening, and I started to slide away from her embrace. Regardless she stared at me with her one working eye, tears now beginning to well and run down her hurt cheek.

"Riaku, you're going to do great things… That's why… Y-your father and I…"

Her body suddenly hitched as a loud cough ripped from her mouth, bringing with it a spray of dark blood. She fought for a moment to regain herself before collapsing, and turning back to face me, though now her breath was much more labored and slow.

"We love you very much… I hope you'll remember… Riaku…"

And with that, the rest of her life faded from her. Her eye suddenly lost focus, though it remained trained on me as I lay beside her. The warmth from her body slowly left with her spirit, and it wasn't long then before my infantile cries mingled with the cries of those still perishing within the flaming husk of my home.

Embers danced in the sky that night as all of the other voices were gradually silenced. By the time that the sun had risen only one small, broken cry remained.

…

"Who have we here..?"

I pulled my face away from the tear-drenched garment that my mother was wearing and looked up toward the source of the deep voice. Above me stood three men, whom had approached without my notice. All three wore bulky suits of metal and hide, accompanied with different types of swords that hung around their backs.

"A babe. Mother must have fled when the beast attacked." Another one of the men said, his face hidden behind his helmet.

"Who would have guessed that the only survivor would be a child…" The first voice again spoke, now revealed to be a man in a similar getup to the other. The only difference between them was the color, as this man wore a suit comprised of deep blue scales, while the other's was red. "Do you know who this woman is, Makai?"

"Yes. She's the woman of the Haidoji household."

This particular man was very different from the other two. Instead of armor he wore a heavy fur coat, despite the fact that the morning air was cool at worst.

"Wife, mother, and tailor. Her husband and I went on a few local hunts years back. Became friends, and I even attended their marriage."

"So her husband is a hunter?" The red man asked, "Could that mean he's still alive?"

There was a grunt and the man in the coat crossed his arms. "I knew him well. The last thing he would do is leave his wife and child alone like this." He paused to shake his head, then continued in a somber voice. "He must have fought the monster alongside the other village hunters. And if he's not here now… Damn it…"

There was silence for a moment before I let out a whimper, causing the three men to direct their attention back to me.

"Must have been a hell of a beast to do this." The blue suit said, "I suspect an Elder Dragon. But we need to do something about this kid before we can investigate any more."

"Well said." The man in the red suit agreed. "Got any ideas, Makai?"

The man in the coat grunted in the affirmative. "There's a woman back in Pokke- a farmer, named Gaia. Always wanted a family of her own but she's infertile. To make matters worse, her own husband passed away a while back." He paused to look down at me, his face overshadowed by the fur cap he was wearing. "I'll take the young Haidoji to her on my way back to the Guild. With any luck she'll take care of him."

"Sounds good." Red said. "But it's quite a trek from here to Pokke. You sure you can carry him all that way?"

Makai chuffed and shook his head. "Ever have to deliver wyvern eggs before? Well I've done that, but with Khezu whelps. Compared to those high-voltage volatiles, this youngster won't be a problem."

The other two men nodded and said their farewells to Makai, before walking off toward the low-burning embers and rubble that lay in the distance. Once they were gone, the man in the coat looked down at me and gave a sad smile from under his cap.

"Come now, we'd best be on our way."

He bent over, his arms outstretched toward me. At first I willingly let him lift me into the air and cradle me, until he turned and took a step away from where we were. When I realized that the man was carrying me away from my mother I cried out and reached out toward her crumpled form from over his shoulder.

"Now, Now," He said in an attempt to calm me down, but the further we got from her body the more panicked I became. Before long I was screaming and thrashing in his arms, desperate to return to my mother. But before I could make any progress in escaping the man lifted me by my underarms and turned me so that we were eye level with each other. From this perspective I could get a better look at the middle-aged man who held me outstretched in his arms. His deep brown eyes were weary and sympathetic as they met with mine, though his facial features were stern.

"Please be calm, Riaku. It's all going to be alright."

I paused. Those were the same words my mother had used before…

I saw her face in his features. Her deep blue eyes, her friendly smile. Her reassurance, her compassion, her love…

" _It's all going to be alright, Riaku…"_

" _You're going to do great things Riaku..."_

" _Your father and I love you very much Riaku…"_

" _I hope you'll remember… Riaku…"_

I began to thrash more, screaming louder and louder with a mixture of fear, pain, and sorrow. I didn't want to be taken away, I wanted my parents. I wanted yesterday, a time before any of this ever happened. And yet, despite how loudly I wailed, I could still hear my mother's voice…

 _Riaku, Riaku, Riaku…_

* * *

"Riaku! Riaku, wake up!"

With a powerful shake Riaku Haidoji was roused from his sleep and shot upward in his bed. With wide eyes blue as sapphires he rapidly looked around the room, his breathing heavy and sweat running down his face.

As the terrible dream he had been having slowly dissolved into reality, Riaku realized that he wasn't in the arms of the man who took him from his mother- rather he was in his bedroom, which was now illuminated by the morning sunlight filtering in through a window placed beside his bed.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," A soft, feminine voice said from beside him. Turning his head, Riaku could see the person who had woken him up and relaxed.

"I'm sorry Gaia… I woke you up again, didn't I..?" He spoke softly, rubbing the back of his head apologetically.

The woman sitting on the bed beside him sighed but shook her head.

"Don't be sorry sweetheart, I know you can't help it." She reassured him with a small smile.

Gaia Sol was a tan woman with average height and a healthy build for someone in her forties. Right now she was closely watching her adopted son with worried hazel green eyes from the side of his bed. It was obvious that she had just woken up as her dark hair, which usually fell past her shoulders save for a braid that wrapped around her head, was a mess yet to be tamed.

"…Was it the same dream again?" She asked, her tone serious.

Riaku hated making Gaia worry about him, but also knew how vain it was to try lying to her. The woman's intuition always seemed to be perfect- a lesson that he had learned several times over since he had started living with her.

"Yeah…" He said quietly, looking down to avoid her gaze.

She didn't say anything in response, and for a minute only watched the pained expression on his face as he recalled the events from his reoccurring nightmare. Then she slowly scooted closer and pulled him into a loving embrace, one of her hands slowly running through his hair in a gentle and rhythmic loop.

"You know that I'm here for you dear." She whispered, before planting a kiss on the top of his head.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks Gaia." He answered.

Gaia hummed in acknowledgment before releasing him from her hug and standing from the bed.

"Well now, might as well get a start on the day. Why don't you get dressed for school and I'll start breakfast?" She asked with a smile.

"Sounds good. I'll be down in a bit." He agreed.

Once Gaia had left the room and closed the door behind her, Riaku stretched then turned and hopped out of bed. With a yawn and a scratch of his back the teenager crossed over to his bedroom window and opened it, letting a cool gust of mountain air inside his room.

"Guess we're not the only ones deciding to get an early start on the day," Riaku thought aloud as he was met with the sounds of merchant carts, local music, and conversation from the street outside. Pokke being a relatively small mountain settlement, it was common for the village outside to be busy and full of activity. It also helped that a major Hunter's Guild hall was placed in the center of the settlement, drawing monster hunters from far and wide into Pokke.

Monster hunters… People who make a living by hunting and capturing dangerous beasts from all around the world. Of course their duties went beyond simply tracking and killing things, as monster hunters also have a variety of responsibilities regarding the safety of others.

Just like the three men who had rescued Riaku when he was younger.

That was one of the many reasons that Riaku aspired to become a monster hunter himself. Also, if he _did_ manage to become one then maybe he could prevent tragedies from happening at other villages as well. Though he'd be lying if his reasons for becoming a hunter were all as selfless as those.

Riaku shivered against the chilly air flowing in from the mountains outside and turned toward his dresser. After stripping from his pajama pants and changing into fur trousers and a jacket he was now ready to face the day. However, before he could head out he turned to a lightly cracked full-body mirror that rested against the wall and examined his appearance.

His medium-length dark brown hair needed a little bit of taming before it would fall as it usually did, landing about halfway down his neck. His somewhat tan skin greatly accentuated his ocean blue eyes- the same bright eyes that his mother had once had. He stood a few inches shy of six feet, and was lean in stature. He might have actually been considered skinny, had Gaia not loaded him up with chores and garden work over the past couple of years. This, along with his own personal training, had earned the young man a muscular form fitting for his proportions. Not that he could see them now, as he wore a tan/grey fur and tarp outfit that combatted the chilly air outside.

Once he had ensured that he looked ready for school, the teenager crossed his room to the door and headed out into the hall outside. Well, 'hall' was a bit of an overstatement.

In truth, the house that Riaku and Gaia lived in was a step below quaint. Ever since her husband had died while on a hunt, Gaia had made a less than comfortable living off of selling fresh vegetables from her garden. It was honest work, but even feeding the both of them was a challenge sometimes. The house was a reflection of her financial struggles, and even with Riaku helping with the garden it was difficult to scrape by.

Therefore, the second story was nothing more than Riaku's bedroom, which had been converted from attic space when Gaia had adopted him. Outside of his bedroom was a short flight of stairs that landed in the relatively large living quarters- an open room with a heating furnace and center table, as well as a corner that Gaia had converted into a sort of kitchen. The kitchen was little more than a pantry, cooking kettle, and low counter, but Gaia made good use of the modest accommodations.

Four doorways lined the walls of the living quarters: the front door, which was placed opposite the room to the back door, which led to the outdoor garden. On the opposite wall to the stairs were two other rooms, one being Gaia's bedroom and the other a small restroom equipped with toilet, wash basin, and tub.

Riaku quickly made his way down the stairs to find that Gaia was busy in her kitchen area. As he walked over to the table in the middle of the room and took a seat, she too finished what she was doing and turned to him with a smile, holding a platter with two cups and a plate on it.

"I was just about to make sure you didn't fall back asleep," Gaia said with a small laugh, "It would be a shame if you were late to your last day of school."

"I don't think I would mind," Riaku said under his breath as Gaia set the platter on the table and sat down across from him.

"Now, now. I know that school isn't your favorite thing in the world, but one more day won't kill you." Gaia responded while passing Riaku a cup of herbal tea and a platter with a slice of toast on it. "Besides, tomorrow you get to leave that school for the hunter's academy. That's one step closer to becoming a hunter."

Riaku struggled to tear a bite off of the toast, before sighing.

"Also one step closer to bread that isn't stale."

See, that was the other reason that Riaku wanted to become a monster hunter so badly. Not only was it a noble cause in his eyes, but it was also good for pay. Monster hunters made commission from quests they completed, and the tougher the monster was, the more the job paid. Riaku had heard stories from school of hunters who made several thousand dollars from single hunts- and if that were true, then it meant he could provide a much better life for him and Gaia both.

Gaia looked at him with a sad smile. "I know how much you want to buy us a better life, but please promise me that you won't do anything dangerous. Money is nice, but I would take your safety over being rich any day."

He smiled at her reassuringly. "Nothing is going to happen to me. Not until you're living in a mansion with an entire farm of crops out the back."

"Nothing better happen to you even then," Gaia said seriously, "You know that you're the world to me. And if the only way to keep you from getting hurt is to lock you in your room, then so be it. I've got some chain laying around here somewhere."

Riaku smiled then took a long drink from his tea. That was what he loved so much about Gaia: even though he wasn't her biological son, she treated him as though he were her own flesh and blood. She gave him food even though money was tight, even if that meant she would go hungry. Of course Riaku would protest every time it happened, but she simply wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

That's why she deserved so much better than this. He wanted to pay her back for everything she had done for him, even though he doubted that she would accept a cent for that reason. Regardless, he had already decided that his first reward from a quest would go straight to her, to buy whatever she pleased.

"So, Riaku," Gaia spoke again after a spell of silence, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" He asked once he had finished his tea and attempted to eat more toast.

"I know that you're eager to become a hunter, but are you sure that you want to attend the academy _tomorrow_? Right after you graduate from basic schooling, and on your birthday, to boot?"

"Yes, I've made up my mind on that." He answered simply.

"But sweetheart, while it's true that seventeen is the earliest age for academy registration, most hunters don't start their careers until they're in their twenties," Gaia explained as she took a sip of her tea as well. "Not that I'm trying to stop you, but maybe it would be better to hold off until you overcome certain… issues."

Riaku grimaced. He knew exactly which 'issues' she was referring to.

He was deathly afraid of fire.

It had all stemmed from that one night, the earliest point in his memories. Ever since his first village burned down, every time he saw fire he would freeze. He hated that fact, as it greatly clashed with his aspirations of becoming a monster hunter, but there was nothing he could do about it. Gaia was hopeful that with more time he would overcome the fear on his own, but Riaku knew somewhere deep down that the only way he could truly get over it was to face his fears with a weapon in hand. Yet another reason to become a hunter.

"It will be fine," He assured her, "With any luck I'll even get rid of that stupid phobia during training. What's important to me is that I start hunting as soon as possible, despite anything that might convince me to do otherwise."

Gaia studied his face for a moment before sighing. "You always were the stubborn type. But whatever you want to do, I'll support you."

He chuckled. "Thanks Gaia. And thanks for breakfast too. The tea was great."

The two of them stood, Riaku turning for the door while Gaia began to gather the dishes.

"Uh huh, and how about the toast?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Um- oh would you look at the time! I have to get going if I don't want to miss school." He explained, rubbing the back of his head and giving her a sheepish smile.

She hummed skeptically as she carried the dishes into the kitchen and set them on the counter.

"All right then, you better get going. I'll see you tonight." She said, "And don't forget about helping me pull turnips when you get home!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," He joked as he made his way to the door. "See you tonight!"

And with that, he was off. Running straight to school every morning then back home in the evening was a part of Riaku's exercise routine, so as soon as he was clear of the door he sped off into the distance.

Gaia stared at the door after him as she began washing the dishes, shaking her head and humming to herself.

"There goes my little hunter…"

* * *

 **Well, I certainly hope you enjoyed the first chapter to this new story :) I'm already working on the next instalment, so stay tuned and please leave me a review if you have the time.**

 **Thanks guys!**

 **-StartersoverLegends**


	2. School

**Hey guys! Here's chapter 2. If you're reading this then I'd like to thank you for taking an interest in my story. I work very hard to produce quality writing, and I hope that shows in this fic!**

 ***Name Pronunciations***

 **Rinko Okita - (Reen-Koh) (Oh-Kee-Tah)**

 **Orman Oji - (Or-man) (Oh-Jee)**

 **Mikuna Lao - (Me-Kuun-Ah) (La-ow)**

 **Without further ado, please enjoy!**

* * *

Riaku ran through the familiar streets of his home, passing the same things that he saw nearly every day. A line of merchant stands, a goods cart or two being pulled by a tamed aptonoth, or hunters standing around on street corners discussing recent hunts. As he turned to run along the white fence line bordering the well-known Pokke Farm, Riaku turned his head and watched as miners, fishermen, beekeepers, and farmers all worked by their own trades in perfect harmony. Also residing within the fence were Popo and aptonoth alike, used for pulling plows or produce carts.

It amazed Riaku that some of the gentler monsters could coexist with humans, and could even be productive if raised correctly. aptonoth and popo were the perfect example of this, as the towering creatures didn't look fitted for a human settlement in the slightest.

Aptonoth were large, dinosaur-like monsters that stood on four muscular legs. Their heads somewhat resembled that of a horse, save for the spikes that grew along their jawline or the large crest that peeked from behind their skulls. Their long necks merged into a muscular body covered with grey scales that varied in shade with each given specimen. However, the most notable thing about the aptonoth's appearance was the long tail that each bore for protection. At the end of the tail was a clublike appendage lined with six threatening spikes. Despite its deadly appearance, however, the aptonoth was actually a very skittish monster that was known for keeping a considerable amount of distance between its heard and any sort of threat.

Popo bore similarities to mammoths, in that they were large, furry mammals with two impressive tusks sprouting from the sides of their mouths. Well adapted to the cold, popo were covered with a thick coat of scruffy hair that grew from head to toe. Because of this hair, popos' eyes were almost always concealed- in fact, you couldn't see anything on a popo's face above its large nose. Most of the Popo in the farm had the same coloration as is common with the species, being a dark brown scruff that turns more of a tan color toward the top of its back and neck.

Riaku watched the men and monsters alike work as he ran by, waving to a couple of miners who greeted him from beside the fence. After that it wasn't long before he cleared the end of the fence line and turned down the main walk of Pokke village.

While the rest of the settlement was busy, there was no compare to the square at the center of Pokke. In it were blacksmiths, goods and trade shops, the town Elder's residence, bars, and not to mention the nicer housing to be found for miles around. However, none of these things caught Riaku's eye like the towering Hunter's Guild hall at the opposite end of the square. Not only was the building gargantuan compared to the shops and houses surrounding it, but it was also packed with tried-and-true monster hunters.

Riaku slowed to a stop for the first time since he had left home and stared at the great building. Sometimes it was hard to remember that right next to it was the Monster Hunter Academy, given that the later was a very small building beside the hall, and was easily overshadowed.

 _One more day,_ Riaku thought to himself as he caught his breath, _One more day until I begin my journey as a monster hunter. Then everything will change._

Finally, the teenager pried his eyes from the busy square in front of him and continued on his path. Turning to his left, it wasn't long before he had jogged to the front of his schoolhouse. There wasn't really much to say about it; the small wooden structure housed only one classroom that could barely hold the twenty-some kids from around the village. The students were of all different ages and many were on a completely different learning plan from Riaku and the rest of his age group. The soon-to-be graduates totaled five- four of which wanted to become hunters and would start training tomorrow.

Riaku was gladly a part of that number.

Once again he slowed his run into a walk as he approached the old building. Outside the front entrance was a small fenced-in yard that served as a recess ground for the younger kids, and as Riaku walked through he noticed that many of them had yet to arrive yet. That meant that he had some time before classes would actually start. Avoiding the small groups of children at play, Riaku made his way inside the building, closing the wooden door behind him.

The inside of the building was exactly as you would expect it to be- several rows of wooden desks facing a larger desk placed in front of a slate board. Four windows- two on each wall- allowed generous amounts of golden morning sunlight into the room. Riaku used this light to quickly navigate to his own assigned desk near the back of the room and sat down.

At the moment there were about seven people patiently awaiting classes from inside of the building. A group of pre-teens was over by the teacher's desk talking, while a loner read a book quietly at his desk near the front. As for the last three…

Riaku sighed and looked down from the group of teenagers that chatted a few rows in front of him. The three students in mention were Mikuna Lao, Orman Oji, and Rinko Okita- the majority of his age class. All three of them were already seventeen, and were set to attend the hunter's academy tomorrow. It would seem that the three of them had plenty in common with Riaku, but the truth was that he wasn't looking forward to training with them in the slightest.

It wasn't that he had no interest in making friends, just that he knew when to give up. Years ago Riaku had genuinely tried to fit in with the other kids his age, but the result was never there. Partially it was because of his fear of fire, which the other children quickly picked up on and used to tease him. Additionally, there was the fact that his biological parents were dead. This had once been a pretty popular subject with the school rumor mill, as some creative mind decided that Riaku must have murdered them… further hurting his social standing at school. Not to mention that he was poor, meaning that he could never afford the nice school clothes that the other kids his age wore. Instead he was stuck wearing rabbit hide and tarp, which was great for combatting the cold. But for making a good impression? Not so much.

Riaku sat silently in his desk and stared down at his lap, hoping that the three suddenly silent teens wouldn't notice him. However, just as he began to think that his last day of basic schooling would be a peaceful one, a loud crash sounded from the desk in front of him. Riaku flinched at the sound and quickly looked up to find that Rinko, the self-proclaimed leader of the trio, was staring down at him with his palm flat against the desktop.

Rinko Okita was a handsome boy, standing a good inch or two above Riaku and bearing more visible muscle as well behind his light skin. He had dark chocolate brown eyes that mirrored the color of his hair, which was always spiked up behind a red headband commonly wore by hunters from Pokke. The headband had been a gift from Rinko's father, who was a very successful hunter that had always pushed his son down a similar path.

Standing behind Rinko's right shoulder was Orman Oji, who was currently wearing a mocking sneer at seeing Riaku's reaction. Orman was a short, pudgy boy with the same light skin color as Rinko. He had a thinly shaven head of dark hair that matched his own dark eyes. Despite the fact that Orman bore a very chubby look about him, Riaku knew all too well of the boy's power, as his heavy build also seemed to contribute to his strength. He also wore a headband similar to Rinko's, though this band was dark green instead of red. As far back as Riaku could remember, Orman had happily filled the position of Rinko's crony- wherever Rinko was, Orman was sure to be right behind him wearing that annoying sneer.

"Hey Haidoji," Rinko started with a casual tone to his mature voice, "Been meaning to ask you something."

Riaku sighed. "What do you want Rinko?"

"Well it's about the Hunter's Academy, you see," Rinko replied, removing his hand from Riaku's desk and slowly pacing in a circle around his target. "You're not still going to attend class there tomorrow, are you?"

"Of course I am," Riaku answered, "It's been my plan to go there just as long as it's been yours."

Rinko chuckled and cut a look at Orman, who mirrored the gesture with a condescending laugh.

"What's so funny?" Riaku demanded, tensing in his seat.

"Oh nothing, nothing," Rinko chuffed as he stopped once more in front of Riaku's desk. "I just figured you would have reconsidered by now. After all, our village has lost enough hunters within recent years and I would hate to see another one croak right after his graduation. Besides, it would be a shame if Gaia had to lose another family member to the hunt… I'm not so sure her old heart could take it."

Riaku growled, his fists balling as he glared up at Rinko.

"You shut the hell up about Gaia. You don't even know her!"

"Looks like you struck a chord!" Orman called from behind Rinko, who now wore a dangerous smirk.

"Oh but I do. I know that she's desperate for money, and that's part of the reason why you want to become a hunter."

"That's none of your business," Riaku snapped, "Just get to the point or leave!"

Rinko's smirk wavered for a moment before returning as more of a snarl.

"Fine." He whispered, before leaning in close to Riaku's face. "Don't show up at the Academy tomorrow unless you want to embarrass yourself. There's no room in the Guild for a bastard who's afraid of fire."

"Rinko, that's enough." A feminine voice demanded from the other side of the room. Looking over, Riaku could see that it was Mikuna.

Mikuna Lao was a fair skinned girl who stood about an inch shorter than Riaku. She had long silky black hair that was usually pulled behind her head, save for two bangs allowed to fall on either side of her face. Similar to the other two, a headband rested at her hairline beneath the bangs, this one bright yellow. She had a slender build that hid a lot of strength- so much so that Riaku believed she could hold her own even against Rinko.

Mikuna was the most decent of the three in Riaku's opinion. She was the only one in school who would rein Rinko back when he went too far, though she wouldn't necessarily defend Riaku either. He basically saw their relationship as neutral, neither friend no foe- though he did sincerely appreciate it when she would step in to dissolve conflict between her fellow students.

"Come on Mikuna, I'm only having a heart-to-heart with Riaku here." Rinko replied as he cut a look at her from over his shoulder.

"You're not fooling me." She said with a soft voice cool as the mountain breeze, "And there's no time for this now anyway. Class is about to start."

Riaku hadn't noticed before now, but she was right. The schoolhouse was almost full of children now, including the ones that had been playing outside. Given this fact, it was only a matter of time before their teacher entered and began the day's lesson.

"Very well," Rinko begrudgingly agreed, before turning back to Riaku. "Just remember what I said alright? It would be a shame to see your precious dream go up in flames."

With a cackle from Orman the two turned around and headed toward their seats near Mikuna toward the center of the room. Riaku glared after them in spite of Rinko's last remark, until the door flew open behind him.

"Goooood morning class~!" came a familiarly cheery voice.

"Good morning Ms. B," The class recited with varying levels of excitement.

Riaku turned and watched with the rest of the class as their teacher walked along the wall toward her desk, smiling and waving at them all as she passed. She was a tender woman with a sunny personality, which reflected in her appearance. A floral gown rich with vibrant color fell to her ankles, while a thick head of dirty blonde hair landed about halfway down her back. Her eyes were a vibrant green; a rarity in Pokke, given that most people born here had dark hair and eyes. This led to many rumors that she was actually foreign, coming from somewhere like the Moga coast where it was much more tropical.

Once Ms. B had reached her desk she took a silent headcount of the class before smiling warmly at them.

"Not a single student absent today! Wonderful!"

Without a response from the class she hummed happily as she scribbled something on the parchment laying on her desk. When she was finished with that she stood and addressed them all again.

"Today is a very special day, class. Can anyone tell me why it's such a special day?"

A hand rose somewhere in the front before a small voice answered 'graduation day'.

"Very good!" Ms. B said with a smile, "Today is the day that our older kids graduate, meaning that tomorrow they get to go out into the world on their own! Now, before we start the class I'd like all of my graduates to raise their hands."

Riaku obliged and raised his hand, as did the three familiar teens in front of him.

"Alright class, you know the drill! Let's give them a big round of applause for making it through school- someday that will be _you_ , after all."

As the room filled with the sounds of polite clapping, Riaku let his gaze shift from Rinko's bunch in search of the fifth graduate. It wasn't long before he found her, sitting just a couple of seats from his left.

Grace Ioma. She was a relatively short girl, but that didn't mean that she wasn't in shape. Just like everyone else in their age class, she had muscle packed behind her tiny appearance. She was a soft-spoken girl with fair skin and green eyes that swirled with energy beneath her blonde-hazel hair. She only really talked when spoken to and liked being alone, which made it hard to know much about her. Nobody in the class even knew what she was going to do after she graduated. The only thing Riaku actually knew about her was that she was the oldest student in school, an eighteen year-old.

Riaku stared at her even after the class applause ended and the teacher began her lesson. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude, but he had become lost in his thoughts over this mysterious girl. Unlike the rest of her age group, she had never disclosed what she wanted to be after schooling- the other four had said 'monster hunter' without hesitation.

As he wondered about her his eyes began to wander down to her petite form. Despite the fact that she was short and relatively slender, her breasts were just as full as a girl at average height. Riaku continued to stare at the two mounds poking at her school clothes- which entailed a white blouse and long skirt.

He stayed deep in his thoughts while the teacher talked until his eyes finally rose back to her face- only to find two bright green eyes staring back at him.

Riaku jumped in his seat, his face turning bright red as Grace cocked her eyebrow at him questioningly. Then he quickly turned to face the teacher, sitting properly and trying as hard as he could not to check if the girl was still looking at him.

The rest of the day went as usual, despite the peculiar lesson that the teacher chose. In spirit of the graduates becoming monster hunters she taught about different weapon types and the impact of monster hunters in the economy. Of course she covered blademaster and gunner styles of hunting; one being an up-close-and-personal hunting style dealing with melee weapons, while the other dealt with different types of ranged weapons like bows and bowguns.

After a very lengthy lecture on the economy vs. ecology, complete with charts and graphs scribbled on the board, class ended and Ms. B gave a warm farewell to her graduates.

"I wish you all success and safety in your choices!" She said with a big smile, "And with that, you are all dismissed."

Riaku remained seated until most of the other class had gone- especially Rinko's group. He didn't like the way that Rinko had looked at him when they were talking earlier, and definitely didn't want to risk getting into a fight with him or his tagalong. Once he was certain that they were gone, he stood up and headed toward the door right as Grace brushed past him. She didn't acknowledge him as she passed, but Riaku still felt his face heat up in light of what had happened this morning. He watched her as she opened the door and took a step outside, but was surprised when she hesitated in the doorway. After she had stood there for a moment she turned her head to look back at him.

"Good luck with becoming a monster hunter." She said, her voice soft.

"O-oh, thank you," He stuttered out, surprised that she was actually talking to him given her nature.

She nodded at him then set off into the afternoon sun, letting the door close behind her. Riaku stood there for a moment, once again pondering the girl and her whereabouts before shrugging and heading out as well.

And so he began the familiar run back home, seeing everything how he left it in the morning save for the Pokke farm, where many of the workers that he had seen were now wrapping up for the day. Before long he was standing in front of his home, catching his breath before reaching for the door.

Riaku had just taken his first step inside when suddenly something flew across the room and smacked him in the face. The boy reached up and removed the object to inspect it, finding a pair of tattered gloves with ancient traces of dirt all over them. He looked up to find Gaia standing across the room, her hair now tamed and pulled into its usual braid and her clothes filthy from a hard day of work.

"Hello to you too," Riaku said with a cocked eyebrow at his adoptive mother.

"You're going to the hunter's academy tomorrow right?" She asked, leaning against the wall next to the back door.

"Of course," He answered, "Why?"

"If you're going to be a hunter then you'll need good reflexes. What if those gloves had been a remobra? You'd probably be poisoned by now."

Riaku recalled the flying snakes for a moment. While it was true that remobra were fast and dangerous, they were cold-blooded and therefore lived in much warmer regions.

"Gaia, I don't think that-"

"I don't care about the specifics," She cut him off as she walked over, "What matters to me is your safety. Monster hunters live in a very dangerous world, Riaku, and I just want to make sure that you're able to take care of yourself."

She paused for a moment when she reached his end of the room to pull him into a hug.

"Please understand that I can't help but worry about you." She spoke softly.

He smiled and looked her in the eye. "I know. And that's why I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I make it back home after every hunt."

She studied the confidence in his face for a moment before smiling back.

"Good. Now let's get to work- there are a few dozen turnips with your name on them."

Riaku groaned as Gaia parted from him and started heading toward the back door.

"Yes Ma'am." He said as he slowly followed her, putting the gloves on as he walked. It was going to be a long afternoon, he could already tell.

* * *

Riaku's eyes shot open with the sound of the first songbird's tune outside. Sitting up and rubbing sleep from his eyes, Riaku looked toward his window to see that the first traces of morning sunlight were barely illuminating the distant silhouettes of mountains.

The young man smiled in the darkness of his room as he turned and jumped out of bed. Without hesitation he dropped to the floor and began his morning workout. Push-ups and crunches in the mirror became squats and lunges, then pull-ups using the outcrop of his door frame. He continued his exercise until the sun had completely departed from the horizon and lit up his room, then he stopped and inspected himself in the mirror.

Sweat rolled down his bare chest as he caught his breath, the traces of condensation rolling over his abs. Riaku would be the first to admit that he wasn't the most muscular person in town, as his build was naturally lean, but even then he had a fairly toned muscular profile as a result of his years of self-training.

After he had caught his breath the boy nodded at his reflection and turned to his dresser. Once he had changed into his usual outfit he made his way out of his room and down the stairs. To his slight surprise Gaia was already at work in the kitchen, rustling through the pantry quietly.

"You're up early," He said aloud as he reached the foot of the stairs. Gaia turned to him with a small smile.

"I didn't get much sleep last night," she admitted as she returned to what she was doing. "A friend in town told me yesterday that the academy has a sink-or-swim policy regarding new hunters. Apparently they like to just throw them into an arena with a monster and see how they do."

Riaku hummed as he pondered that possibility. While it was true that he had heard stories from kids at school about monster hunters in-training having to face beasts nearly right away, he never knew if there was any truth to the claims.

"I guess I'll finally see if that's true today." He answered nonchalantly.

"But what if it's a wyvern?" She asked as she pulled a sack from the pantry and inspected its contents. "Or worse, what if it breathes fire? Will you be ok?"

She pulled something round from the bag and tossed it to him. Riaku caught it and turned it in his hand. It was an apple, slightly old but not rotting yet.

"That's a part of why I'm doing this, remember?" He asked as he rubbed his sleeve on the fruit then took a bite. "If I don't face my fear now then when will I ever get over it?"

Gaia sighed. "I guess that's true," She looked him up and down before smiling to herself. "Look at how much you've grown. Such a strong and handsome young man."

Riaku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I owe who I am today to _you_ , Gaia. And that's why I'm going to do my best today to make you proud."

"Oh sweetheart, I just know that you're going to do a great job." She answered as she crossed over and pulled him into a tight hug, "And no matter what happens I'm going to be proud of you. Just do what you feel is right and don't leave any room for regret."

He nodded and hugged her back, the two holding each other as sunlight slowly began to fill the room. After a few moments Gaia stirred and turned to look up at her adopted son.

"Alright, I think I'm ready now." She said with eyes that were a little wetter than usual.

He gave her a smile as the two parted. "Hey, that's _my_ line."

Gaia chuckled to herself and gave Riaku a pat on his arm.

"Alright, you'd better get going. I'll be waiting here when you get back."

He nodded and turned for the door, but only made it a few paces when she stopped him.

"Oh, and Riaku?"

He paused and turned to find Gaia pulling a small box from behind her back and tossing it to him. He caught and inspected it in his hands before giving her a questioning look.

"You didn't think I would forget your birthday, did you?" She asked with a cocked eyebrow. "That's your gift from me."

"You didn't have to do this," He said with a worried tone in his voice. "It's not expensive is it? Because I won't let you-"

"Ah, just shush and open it!" She said with a shake of her head.

Riaku gave her an apprehensive look before slowly turning the box in his hands and opening it. Gaia smiled to herself when Riaku couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"What do you think?" Gaia asked.

Riaku remained silent as he reached inside and slowly pulled the contents out. Inside was a blue ribbon with Pokke's seal on it- the type of ribbon that hunters from the settlement wore to distinguish themselves from others. The material that made up the ribbon was soft and bright, the color nearly matching his own eyes.

"This is awesome Gaia," He said as he stared at the ribbon that he held in front of him.

"I thought you might like it." She said while crossing her arms. "Now hurry and try it on!"

Riaku nodded and started to raise the ribbon, but paused before it could touch his forehead.

"What's the matter?" Gaia asked.

"I can't put this on just yet." Riaku said as he lowered the ribbon and carefully began folding it back into the box. "So can you hold onto this for me?"

"Sure I can, but why can't you wear it yet? I don't understand." Gaia admitted as she caught the box that Riaku had tossed back to her.

"It's just that… That ribbon is for monster hunters to wear- and I'm not one of those yet," He started, turning and looking out at the early morning sun through the window. "I want to earn my title as a monster hunter. I want to _earn_ that ribbon." He turned to look back at Gaia, giving her a sheepish look. "Maybe that doesn't make sense… But can you please hold onto it just a little longer?"

Gaia gave a sad smile and nodded.

"Of course sweetheart. It's safe with me."

"Thanks Gaia, it means a lot." He replied as he turned back toward the door. "Well I'm gonna get going. The sooner I get to work the sooner I get that ribbon!"

"Alright, have fun!" She said with a wave. "Be safe and enjoy your seventeenth birthday!"

"I will! See you tonight!" Riaku called back to her as he had already passed the door and was now sprinting off toward the town square.

Gaia watched him until he turned out of her sight, then she looked down at the tiny box that he had entrusted her with. A part of her was disappointed that he hadn't accepted it right away, but the other part was filled with pride. Most kids would have taken the gift on their way out, but not her Riaku. He was as modest as he was determined, which both impressed and scared her at times.

Either way, she knew one thing for sure; no matter where the day would take him, Riaku would do anything necessary to prove that he deserved that ribbon.

Meanwhile, Riaku was running through the streets of Pokke faster than he ever had. Today was finally the day that everything changed- the day that he proved once and for all that he could cut it as a hunter.

When he reached the bustling town square, Riaku slowed to a walk and took in the feelings of excitement and anticipation that gripped him. Step by step he was getting closer to the looming gathering hall. Of course he knew that he wasn't Guild-bound just yet, but regardless he wanted to get close to it. He stopped in front of the building's great doors and stared up at it, his sense of adventure spiking as a hunting horn sounded from somewhere nearby.

For a moment he recalled his dream- that early memory of pain and death that had marked him for life.

 _If I can do anything to keep that from happening again, then I will._ He thought to himself as his fists clenched with determination. _I'll never let a monster take that much from someone. No way in Hell._

"Hey, is your name Riaku?" A strong voice from nearby called, shaking the teen from his thoughts. Looking over, Riaku could see a man standing in front of the Hunter's Academy entrance dressed in blood red armor fashioned in a way similar to a samurai set, but was lighter and more suited for the man's muscular build.

"Uh, yeah that's me." Riaku answered.

"Good, you're right on time." The man replied, waving toward the academy. "Come, class is about to start."

"Alright, I'm coming." Riaku called as the man turned back toward the building, but shot one last glance at the gathering hall before turning and heading toward the academy.

From his short walk to the academy classroom Riaku could see the rest of the site as well. Along the side of the building was a line of targets and fighting dummies, as well as an open shed full of carts and battle supplies. A little further down was a dug out arena with posts surrounding it to prevent anyone from falling in. From the arena he could hear a mixture of growls and snarls, further supporting the possibility of an actual monster hunt taking place today.

Riaku followed the man inside the small class building and found that Rinko, Orman, and Mikuna were already standing in a line facing the front of the room where a podium stood beside a table lined with several different kinds of weapons.

"Look who finally made it," Rinko sneered as Riaku entered, "We were beginning to think that your nerves had gotten to you, Haidoji."

"As if." Riaku replied with a glare as he joined the line.

"Alright, that's enough." The instructor demanded as he walked over to his podium. "Let's get class started. We've got a lot to cover."

The line of teens fell silent and politely watched the instructor. He was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties, and bore proof of many hunts on the skin that wasn't covered by his light armor. The most notable example of this was on his left cheek. The helmet he wore only covered the top and sides of his head, exposing the large pink scar that ran from his chin to just past his ear. He had light brown eyes beneath the dirty-blonde hair that was also mostly concealed by his helmet.

"First off, I have high hopes for you lot." The instructor said as he looked over the kids standing in front of him. "So high, in fact, that I've arranged a little treat for you all. After our initial lessons are done today, you will each slay a monster in the arena out back."

Riaku, like the other two boys, couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.

"So it's true, then." Mikuna, the only one who didn't seem phased, stated with a cool voice. "What monster will we be slaying?"

"Well miss Lao, after I've gone over the basics and you've each picked your weapon of choice, you will be pitted against a few relatively easy large monsters that came courtesy of the guild."

"But what species are they?" Rinko asked.

The instructor smirked. "Today, class, you will be slaying a Yian Kut-Ku."

Riaku tensed- he recognized that name. Kut-Ku were bird wyverns with large beaks and ears adapted to life in dense tropical jungles. They were relatively small and skinny compared to most other wyverns, but size wasn't what was concerning Riaku.

What _was_ bothering him was the fact that Kut-Ku were notorious for spitting balls of fire at their prey.

"Um, sir?" Orman spoke up, "Are you sure that we shouldn't start with small monsters first?"

"Oh, absolutely." The instructor said as he leaned against his podium comfortably. "But you'll be glad to know that a great reward awaits those who succeed. Everyone who succeeds in killing the Kut-Ku will be paired with the others and sent on an actual quest at the end of the day."

"An actual quest? Really?" Rinko spoke with interest in his voice, "Count me in."

"Y-yeah, me too!" Orman agreed.

"Sir, what about if we fail in slaying the Kut-Ku?" Mikuna asked with a raised hand.

"Great question," The instructor answered, pausing and leaning in to add emphasis.

"Those of you who fail… will be expelled from the academy at once."

Gasps from the four students filled the room, causing the instructor to smile contently.

"That's right. Say goodbye to the pot- you're all in the fire now."

* * *

 **Hunting starts next chapter, as well as the actual beginning to Riaku's quest. What will happen? I guarantee you won't expect it.**

 **Thank you to** Nishjin, Guest, and rrmurphy0 **for my first batch of reviews on this story! You guys rock!**

 **(A.N.: No, FNAF: Another Side isn't discontinued. Check the NEWS portion of my profile page to see the status of all of my stories, thank you.)**

 **Please leave me a review if you feel up to it, as your words are fuel for me to keep writing!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-StartersoverLegends**


	3. Trials

**Hey guys, welcome back to the story. I'm sorry for those of you who had to endure the wait for this, but at least we're making some progress, eh?**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Silence filled the room in wake of the instructor's last sentence. In an instant the atmosphere had changed from excited to tense- especially for Riaku. The teen gulped as he imagined a wyvern's maw spewing fire at him from a closed-in space. Knowingly going into that situation was the last thing that he wanted to do, but he had no choice. The instructor said that any student who failed in slaying a Kut-Ku would be immediately expelled from the academy, which meant that they could never become a hunter as long as they stayed in Pokke. Of course he could always go to some other village to try his hunter's training again, but there was no way that he would ever leave Gaia. Besides, everyone that he wanted to prove himself to lived in Pokke, and he wouldn't rest until he had shown them all his true worth.

"Now then, before we get started with the lesson a few introductions are in order…" The instructor began as he turned toward the door, "We have two guests to help with today's activities. The first is my personal assistant, and the second is a special guest."

He waved at the door, and soon after two people walked into the room and stood beside the instructor. Once more, surprise filled the room at seeing who these 'special guests' were.

"G-Grace?" Orman blurted out from the line, speaking exactly what everyone else was thinking. There was no mistaking the short, hazel-haired girl standing before them; it was none other than the quiet classmate that had never disclosed her post-schooling plans.

"Grandmother?" Mikuna asked, referring to the short old lady standing next to Grace. The woman in question was none other than elder Maria- Pokke's oldest resident and decided leader. Riaku had almost forgotten that Mikuna was related to their town elder, as time had removed any semblance between the two. While Mikuna was a beautiful girl with a fit form, jet-black hair and flawlessly fair skin, her grandmother was very short, with hair white as snow worn in a braided bun behind her head. Not to mention the countless wrinkles that covered her face, reminding all who saw her that she had been a resident of Pokke longer than anyone could remember.

Despite her ancient appearance, however, elder Maria was always a kind and energetic soul, which showed in the smile that she usually wore as well as the light that danced in her eyes behind a pair of spectacles. Also accentuating her bright personality was the colorful robe that she wore down to her feet.

Elder Maria smiled at Mikuna before passing the look along to the other three students.

"Now then, I couldn't possibly miss the initiation of Pokke's newest hunters, could I?" She asked with a kind but frail voice. "Especially not when my own granddaughter is present."

She let out a small laugh, though Mikuna remained quiet from her place in line. The elder then turned back to the instructor and nodded.

"Please continue, Koh."

The instructor's eyes widened ever so slightly at the mention of his name, giving the impression that he wasn't used to being addressed in that manner. Elder Maria, however, knew the name of everyone in Pokke and rarely called them by anything else. Seeing as that was the case, instructor Koh cleared his throat then turned back to the line of students before him.

"Before we begin with the day's activities, we must first cover a few basics. To begin, hunters have two very important types of equipment that they carry with them: armor and weapons. While there are many types of each, you will each begin your career with the basics; for armor, you will be provided the Mafumofu set. It is a sturdy, coat-like armor set made from fur and leather. It will provide substantial protection from the cold and absorb moderate damage- just watch out for fire attacks."

"Sir," Makuna said with a raised hand, "If this set is weak to fire, then why would you have us face a Kut-Ku in it?"

The instructor once more leaned against his podium casually.

"To give you incentive to dodge." He replied simply. "Hunting monsters is about much more than just attacking… you'll need to know how to observe your opponent's movement patterns and avoid them. Pitting you against a fire wyvern without resistance is a tried-and-true way to teach the importance of being evasive."

His eyes passed over the line in front of him twice before he continued.

"Now if there are no more questions, I'd like to move on to weaponry. Your weapon is your best friend when you're out on a hunt. Take care of it and it will take care of you. There are two different classes of weapons, each vastly different from the other. Can anyone tell me what the two classes are?"

"I know." Rinko answered, "Blademaster and Gunner, right?"

"That is correct." The instructor answered with a nod. "But what's the difference?"

"Blademaster refers to melee weapons, like swords and hammers, while the Gunner class outlines ranged weapons like bows." Rinko said, eyeing the weapons on the table next to the podium.

"Again, correct. I would expect no less from you, given who your father is." Koh said with a smirk, before gesturing at the table as well. "Beside me there is one of every type of weapon recognized by the Guild. Each is a basic model, made of steel or bone without any elemental attributes. Now you will each step forward and pick one; but be wise in your decision, as the Guild will not be providing any further equipment to you. From here it's all from your own pocket."

Each student in the line nodded and stepped forward to the table, inspecting the weapons before them. Rinko was the first to choose, instantly grabbing a long, slender blade sheathed in a leather holding. Holding it in front of him, he slowly pulled the blade from its place, revealing the thinly crafted steel that stretched out several feet from its handle.

"Nice…" Rinko whispered with a grin as he ran his finger along the dull side of the blade.

"I had you pegged as a Blademaster, but the long sword is an interesting choice." Came a soft voice.

Everyone looked up to see Grace standing on the opposite side of the table, her hands held behind her back as she watched them make their choices. A moment of awkward silence followed, as Grace rarely talked to any of them in school, before Rinko answered.

"It's what my father uses, so I have a pretty good understanding on how to use long swords." He replied as he stepped back from the table and re-sheathed the sword.

"A great choice for keeping moderate difference between you and a target, while not sacrificing cutting power." Grace said, her eyes returning to the weapons on the table. "However, it takes a lot of time and patience to master the movements that accompany successful use of the sword. With that said, it's probably a good thing that you're already familiar with it."

There was another momentary silence from the group- though this time out of awe. Despite each of them aspiring to become monster hunters in school, they never realized that their quiet classmate was so knowledgeable on weapon use.

"Surprised?" Instructor Koh asked the group with crossed arms. "Grace has been my assistant for a few years now. She's always held a great appreciation for weapons and their use against monsters, so I allowed her to become my assistant despite being so young. Now she knows just about as much as I do- and I highly recommend heeding her advice when it comes to choosing your own arms."

"I didn't even know that she talked…" Orman said under his breath, staring at the hazel-haired girl with an impressed look.

"Orman, you should focus on picking your weapon." Mikuna said sternly as she carefully observed a set of blades in front of her.

"O-oh, right, right." Orman answered, his face turning red as he quickly returned to the task at hand.

Riaku also directed his attention back to the table, looking over his options. There were so many to choose from… Of course he had dreamt about this moment for years, but in the moment it was much harder to decide.

 _Perhaps a bow… Or a lance! No, I need something that will let me attack consecutively if I get cornered. Maybe the dual blades..?_

Just as he looked over to consider the twin pair of shining shortswords, a pair of slender white hands reached down and pulled them from the table.

"I've made my choice." Mikuna said calmly as she held the two curved swords in front of her.

"Wonderful decision," Elder Maria said from beside Koh, nodding her head approvingly. "Back when I was a little girl, I chose the dual blades as well. Wield them with confidence and let the mountain's breeze direct your movements. Do these things, and those swords will serve you well."

Mikuna nodded. "Thank you grandmother, I'll do my best."

"The dual blades are arguably the most elegant of the weapons, their small size allowing the wielder to dance around their target." Grace explained as Mikuna returned to her place next to Rinko in line. "Contrastingly, they are also the most unrelenting. Correct use can result in countless strikes per moment, shredding flesh in a blur of movement. They suit you well."

"Thank you Grace." Mikuna said with a small bow.

Riaku mentally cursed as he turned back to the table. _I have to make my choice before Orman does… I can't be the last one to decide!_

"Got it!" Orman shouted out, heaving a large, blunt weapon from the table.

 _Well, crap. So much for not being last_. Riaku thought with a sigh.

"The hammer is perfect for you, Orman." Grace said approvingly. "It requires great strength and a strong base to control the weight on the end of the handle. One mighty swing may be all it takes to stun a monster and turn the tables in a fight… Though it's important not to lose your own balance while swinging it."

"Thank you." Orman said with a sheepish chuckle, his face turning pink. Then he heaved the bone handle upward, allowing the large steel mallet at the top to rest against his shoulder as he turned toward his spot in line.

"That leaves just one left," Instructor Koh said in a bored tone. "What will it be, Riaku?"

"I'm… not sure…" Riaku said in dismay as he frantically looked from one piece of equipment to the next. They all had their own set of advantages, making each equally tempting.

 _Great sword? No, too heavy… Switchaxe? Too in-depth… Insect Glaive? Don't like bugs… Which one do I choose..?_

"May I make a suggestion?" Grace asked from across the table, a shy smile on her face. Without waiting for an answer she nodded toward a weapon placed directly in the middle of the table. Riaku followed the gesture until his eyes rested upon a sheathed sword of about medium length placed beside a rounded shield. His eyes widened- a sword and shield was perfect! It would allow him to attack quickly, while also covering him defensively.

"I'll go with this, then." He said with certainty as he reached over and lifted the weapon to inspect it. The shield was heavy in his left hand, as it was completely forged of steel save for the leather on the handle. The sword, on the other hand, was relatively light- the perfect size and shape for slashing out. He let his blue eyes roam up and down the silvery blade, from the broader base against the handle guard to the thinner and sharper tip.

"The sword and shield is a great choice all-around, offering offensive slicing power paired with defensive coverage from the shield." Grace began as Riaku returned to his spot in line, still admiring the weapon in his hands. "Effective use will allow you to lash out at your target with the sword, then withdraw behind the shield when they strike back. From there you can even bash back with the shield, giving an opportunity to stun your opponent."

"I'll remember that." Riaku said with a smile, "Thank you."

"Now then," Koh began once they had each settled in line, "I say we get started right away. Let's get you suited up and practicing on the training dummies outside."

"Yes, sir." All four said in unison, excitement and confidence in their voices.

* * *

"That's enough class. You've each demonstrated a proficient understanding of your weapons." The instructor said from behind his four students. "You may rest."

Orman met this news with relief, letting his hammer fall to the ground with a crash as he doubled over to catch his breath. Riaku couldn't blame him though- everyone who had participated appeared to be winded in some way, from the sweat that had formed on Rinko's brow to the silent labor in Mikuna's breathing. As for Riaku, he was somewhere between the other three, panting as he wiped the sweat from his face.

It had been an hour or so since Riaku's class had picked their weapons and headed outside to practice against the training dummies. Each of them had first been equipped with the aforementioned armor, a sturdy coat that provided comfortable relief from the mountain's chill. At first the warmth of the tan-coated armor had been comforting, but after spending so much time exercising beneath the midday sun, the teenagers had quickly grown tired.

Throughout the exercises Grace moved from student to student, giving advice on their movements and occasionally illustrating proper use of their weapons. She had even partnered up with Riaku so that he could practice his shield bashing technique- a repetitious lesson that quickly exhausted him.

Instructor Koh wasn't as active in the activity, however; he tended to remain behind them as they worked, pacing around and occasionally pointing out flaws in their form. Meanwhile elder Maria happily watched them work while encouraging each of them.

"Remember, you work hard now and you'll reap the benefits later!" She would repeat with a kind smile.

Every now and then Riaku had peeked over at the others to see how they were doing. As to be expected, Rinko took to the sword quickly and made short work of the straw dummy in front of him. The accuracy of his movements led Riaku to believe that some of his father's knowledge had been passed to him, and effectively at that. Rinko lunged, parried, and backstepped in impressive form, occasionally performing more advanced moves such as overhead slashes and uppercuts.

As impressive as Rinko's display was, it couldn't compare to what Mikuna could do. It seemed as though she had taken her grandmother's advice to heart, elegantly spinning and twirling with ease while her curved blades lashed against the dummy in a constant, vicious blur. Her blade's dance was as beautiful as it was deadly, her silky black hair whipping about like ribbons as her slender form spun and two-stepped in coordination with her attack.

Last was Orman, who was by no means quick or showmanistic in his movements. However, the great strength that his hammer produced meant that he didn't need to be either of these things. The ground shook each time he struck the sturdy dummy before him, and with each swing he let out a growl of physical exertion. Looking at the hammer now, Riaku wasn't so sure that he could lift the mallet, let alone swing it at a target for an extended period of time. That thought only proved how strong Orman really was, despite his chubby appearance.

"Once you've each recovered, you will take turns facing the Kut-Ku in the pit over there." Koh said as he nodded toward the makeshift arena, which had continually growled and rustled as the teens went through their training. "The wyverns are young, but that doesn't mean that they can't pack a punch. Watch your backs and remember what Grace and I have been telling you."

Mikuna raised her hand, seeming to have regained her breath.

"Sir, how will we decide which of us goes first?"

The instructor nodded toward Orman, who was now laying sprawled on the ground.

"First come, first serve. Orman was first to arrive this morning, so he'll be the first to show us what he's got. Then it will be Rinko's turn, then yours, and finally Riaku."

"You feeling up for it, buddy?" Rinko asked with a cocked eyebrow at his fatigued friend. In response Orman groaned and slowly raised a thumbs-up gesture in the affirmative.

 _So I'll be last, huh?_ Riaku thought to himself as he observed the other three. _That's good, maybe I'll learn its movements by watching them fight it. That way I can know when they like to spit fire and figure out how to avoid it._

It was only a short wait before Orman had recovered and decided that he was ready to begin. Koh gathered elder Maria and Grace before leading the students over to what he called 'the pit', advising them not to lean over the posts unless they wanted to end up wyvern chow.

"Remember," Koh began as he took his position next to a series of levers, "Dodge the fire and wait for an opening. Don't let it corner you and don't show mercy. These monsters would just as soon kill you as look at you, and you should treat them as such. You ready Orman?"

Orman nodded from the left side of the pit, his hammer slung over his shoulder as he looked down with uncertainty. Taking a breath, he slid down the wall until he reached the dirt bottom and readied his stance. Riaku watched on from the right side of the pit, while Rinko and Makuna watched from the opposite. Elder Maria and Grace were positioned on either side of the instructor, who stood on a small platform lined with multiple wooden levers- presumably to open the many steel gates that lined the bottom walls of the pit. It wasn't a terribly deep arena- only about ten feet, designed so that the onlookers could quickly slide in if a problem were to arise. Regardless, the pit was intimidating to look at, and appeared claustrophobic to Riaku as he accounted for sharing space with a wyvern.

Time slowed for a moment and everyone watched in silence, the atmosphere tense as nobody knew what to expect. Then, without warning, the entire situation changed.

"Begin!"

Koh pulled one of the center levers with a grunt, causing one of the gates below to slide open. As soon as the metal barrier had opened, a red blur erupted from its cage and into the arena. Orman's eyes widened as the creature slowed to a stop in the center of the pit- it was a real live fire wyvern.

The Kut-Ku froze in the center for a moment, letting its blue eyes adjust to the difference in light. From this momentary hesitation it was easy to observe the creature before the fight would once more blur its appearance.

The Kut-Ku was an interesting monster to say the least. It stood roughly seven feet tall atop skinny legs that merged into a slim body. It was completely covered in bright red scales, save for the blue webbing that made up the underside of its wings. Talons sprung from its wingtips as well as its feet, and a sliver of a spike protruded from the tip of its long tail. In most ways it resembled the wyvern equivalent of a chicken- albeit a thin one. The only part of it that greatly differed from a bird was its head, which was as unusual as it was deadly. An incredibly large beak comprised most of its face. The beak was a light tan color, and was rounded rather than sharp; a trait that allowed the Kut-Ku to scoop insects from the dirt and fruit from the trees. Behind the beak were a pair of sunken eyes, which scanned the arena slowly from under a pair of dish-like ears that fanned together from the back of the creature's head.

For the most part the Kut-Ku looked more goofy than anything. Its huge beak and giant ears shared no proportion to its relatively scrawny body. However, it also had the traits of a potential killer: sharp serrations in the lining of its beak, spikes jutting from its wings and tail, and of course the deadly flame sack within its throat. Orman must have realized these things as well, as he froze at the sight of his opponent.

The Kut-Ku soon snapped out of its moment of acclimation and began looking around the arena, its slender neck turning this way and that while its ears acted as a radar.

"Go get em Orman!" Rinko shouted from across the pit with a firm voice. "Show it who's boss!"

The Kut-Ku paused, turning to look up at Rinko with its ears perked. In an instant Orman saw his opening and narrowed his eyes.

"Here I go!" Orman called out as he lowered his hammer and charged forward. Riaku was amazed at how quickly Orman could move given his size and the weight of the hammer, and watched closely as the distance between his fellow student and the monster was rapidly cut.

As to be expected, the Kut-Ku heard Orman coming and quickly turned back to him, but wasn't quick enough to avoid the first blow. On his way toward his target Orman had raised his hammer over his shoulder like a baseball bat, and swung just in time to land a solid hit against the left side of the monster's face.

Immediately the Kut-Ku reacted to the attack, spreading its wings out and flapping them to propel itself backward. As it landed several feet away from Orman, it also let out an ear-splitting shriek.

Riaku instinctively covered his ears to defend against the roar. However, he didn't take his eyes off the battle.

 _It hasn't spit fire yet… That's a good sign, right?_ He thought as he took notes on the way the Kut-Ku was currently sizing Orman up, its head low and wings spread out.

"Study its movements!" Koh shouted into the pit, "Don't let it catch you off guard!"

"Right," Orman said with a nod, keeping steady eye contact with his target.

Once more the temporary peace in the ring was shattered, as the Kut-Ku charged forward with a gaping beak and spread wings. Orman stood his ground as the looming creature approached, glaring at his attacker without budging. By the time that the Kut-Ku had reached him, it seemed as though he would be run over- however, a last-second roll to the left rendered Orman without a scratch.

The Kut-Ku, having missed its mark, lost its balance and crashed to the ground as a result of its great momentum. Orman saw this as an opening and pivoted from his roll, turning toward the grounded wyvern while readying the hammer for another strike. A few lunges placed him in the perfect position to attack, though he hesitated only momentarily as the creature turned toward him. Only when the Kut-Ku's head was directly in front of him did Orman swing out with a grunt, the brunt of his hammer rocking against the monster's large beak.

As a result of the great impact, the Kut-Ku stepped back and began to sway from side to side, shaking its head as if to clear its mind. Simultaneously its large ears flattened against the back of its head, replacing the alert appearance of the beast with a more helpless image.

"It's stunned Orman!" The instructor called out, "Finish it up!"

Orman nodded with conviction, using both hands to hold the hammer out to his right. He then swung it back forward, the mallet connecting with the Kut-Ku's skinny legs and sending it falling onto its side. No further instruction was required from there, as Orman swiftly positioned himself above the head of his struggling target and lifted his hammer high over his head. One incredible downswing put an end to the match, signified by a ground-shaking impact against the beast's head.

The dust cleared to reveal the lifeless form of the previously energetic wyvern.

"That concludes the trial!" Koh said with a clap. "Orman, you are victorious!"

Immediately the ring was filled with the sound of applause, as everyone congratulated the victor on his triumph. The clapping seemed to snap Orman out of the fight, his serious glare quickly transforming into a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I guess this makes me a hunter now," He chuckled as Koh offered him a hand out of the pit. As to be expected, Rinko and Mikuna gathered around him jovially, Rinko giving him a hearty pat on the back while Mikuna nodded with a small smile.

"Now then, onto the next match." Koh said with a nod toward Rinko.

Rinko nodded back before sliding down the wall and planting his feet toward the next gate. Reaching over his left shoulder he unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him in a classic two-handed stance.

"Begin!"

Just as before, the gate opened before a red blur rocketed forward. However, instead of waiting for the Kut-Ku to get its bearings like Orman had, Rinko charged forward with his sword at the ready. His footsteps were even and deliberate as he approached the creature, not wavering even as the Kut-Ku turned toward him with an aggressive growl.

A quick sideswipe against the wyvern's neck began the hectic exchange in attacks between the two. The Kut-Ku would charge and Rinko would sidestep. The Kut-Ku would whip its tail and Rinko would roll beneath it. Every opening for attack was seized, the shining sword gradually becoming more and more bloody with each slash.

Finally, though, a misstep on the Kut-Ku's part exposed its jugular to Rinko's blade. His response was a fluid overhead slash, swinging the sword in a full circle before its edge completely severed the tender skin that covered the beast's throat. The response was immediate, the Kut-Ku stumbling for a moment before falling hard on its side and becoming still. Once again the instructor proclaimed the hunter's victory, which was followed by clapping from all around the ring. In response Rinko flicked the sword off to his side, sending a spray of crimson blood from the blade's edge to the ground and staining the dirt dark.

"Let's keep it going," Koh said once Rinko had returned to his group above the pit. "Mikuna, you're up."

Mikuna nodded, leaping to the center of the arena and landing in a roll. Both blades were pulled from their sheaths as she straightened, now facing the next gate with a set expression. Her eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly as her eyes stayed trained in front of her.

"Remember what I told you, Mikuna." Elder Maria said as she stepped forward for a better view.

Mikuna nodded before hunching and holding her dual blades apart in a striking stance.

"I'm ready." She said firmly.

"Begin!"

Similar to Rinko, Mikuna ran to meet the Kut-Ku as soon as it emerged from its cage. However, her steps were silent and fleet as she approached her target, allowing her to go undetected until the very last moment. By the time that the Kut-Ku had noticed her presence, she was already directly in front of it. Without pausing she leaped forward, spinning as she extended her blades outward. The result was a barrage of fine slashes against the beast's face and neck as she spun into her landing, which quickly became a roll between the monster's legs. Without allowing time for recovery she began to circle her prey, her movements quick as she looked for another opening to strike.

The Kut-Ku flinched against the lightning-fast attack that it had received, though only for a moment. Once it had recovered it trained its eyes on Mikuna, hopping and turning in place to follow her as she ran. This continued until she suddenly turned and sprinted headlong at the Kut-Ku, dual blades at the ready. The wyvern tried in vain to turn and whip its tail out at its attacker, but Mikuna was able to dodge by rolling beneath it then popping back up in time to unleash more slashes upon her target. Once that window for attack had expired, she once again turned and began running away in order to create safe distance.

It seemed like a flawless strategy for someone wielding dual blades- rapidly attack whenever there is an opening, then run and wait for your next chance to strike. There was only one flaw; ranged attacks. Anything that could hit her from a distance would be a problem, disrupting her mobility and cutting off some of her potential routes of attack.

Up until now that hadn't been a problem, but that was about to change.

While Mikuna ran to a comfortable distance for circling, the Kut-Ku began to prepare for a new attack- one that hadn't been seen yet that day. Lowering its head toward Mikuna's back, the Kut-Ku heaved its wings back, before throwing its mouth open and releasing a large ball of fire in her direction.

A few of the spectators gasped.

Riaku froze.

As the ball of concentrated fire launched after its target, Riaku couldn't help but stare in shock at the attack. The red mass of crackle sped along a foot above the ground, fuming with heat and malice. It wasn't a large attack, but it was enough to flood his thoughts with fear and pain. He no longer saw the arena before him- instead he saw burning corpses and collapsing buildings. He saw the face of his dead mother, as well as the evil maw of the creature who had decimated his entire village. The entire nightmare flashed before his eyes as quickly as the fire gained on Mikuna. All at once he felt the blood rush from his face.

 _Can I really do this..?_

"Watch out!" Orman screamed from across the pit, snapping Riaku from his thoughts just in time to see the result of the attack.

Mikuna cut a look over her shoulder right as the fireball reached her and evaded it with a spinning jump, her form twirling around the flame as it passed. The fireball traveled until it hit the wall of the arena, where it exploded into cinders. The force of the explosion was enough to blow her hair around, but otherwise the girl looked completely unfazed by what had happened.

Riaku, on the other hand, stared at the smoking dent that had been left in the wall and felt his stomach rise into his throat. He couldn't help but tremble as the remnants of his worst fear ate at him. He was so transfixed by his fear that he didn't notice Mikuna charge at the Kut-Ku and deliver the killing blow against its throat and chest. Even as the ring began to celebrate her victory, he just stared at the wall, remembering…

"Riaku… Riaku!" Came Koh's voice, once more pulling him into reality.

"H-huh?" Riaku asked as he noticed everyone else's eyes now fixed on him.

"You're up, let's go!" The instructor demanded, reaching over for the next lever.

"Right…"

Looking down, the arena suddenly seemed much more deep. It didn't help that his anxiety had begun to blur his vision, while his heartbeat rang in his ears like a gong with each pump. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Riaku slid down the side of the arena and started walking toward the center ground. His legs shook as he walked, and he could feel the eyes of each individual spectator judging him as he faced the next gate. It was large, and the area behind the steel door was pitch black and full of scratching sounds.

It was intimidating, to say the least, but Riaku knew he had to do this. For Gaia, for his parents. And yes, even for himself.

Closing his eyes and taking another deep breath, Riaku cleared his head of anything but the gate in front of him. This was the first step toward becoming a monster hunter… a chance to prove himself to his village. He wouldn't let himself fail.

Riaku slowly opened his eyes and unsheathed his sword, tilting it toward the ground in front of him. In his other hand he gripped the leather handle of his shield with sweaty palms. This was it.

"I'm ready." He heard himself say, his voice sounding sure and confident.

"Very well, then." Came the answer from somewhere above him, "Begin!"

* * *

 **From here things get real. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and hope you'll consider leaving me a review with your thoughts ;]**

 **A.N.: Please don't ask me about my other stories in your reviews. This is an entirely different project and I'd like for it to be treated as such. Thank you.**

 **Thanks to** rrmurphy0 **and** Onyx Freak **for your reviews. You guys rock!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-StartersoverLegends**


	4. Tribulations

**Well, everyone, it has been nearly two years to the day since I've updated this story. I wouldn't be surprised if you forgot that this fic existed since then! However, here I am to wrap up another one of my famous disappearing acts- I really must apologize for the wait you've had to endure for this. Hopefully the quality of this chapter makes it up to you.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

At once the gate in front of Riaku opened with a rattle, releasing the beast that was held inside. By this point it was no surprise when the wyvern paused a few strides into the pit, looking around slowly to gain its bearings.

Riaku tensed as he sized up the monster in front of him- it looked much larger on even footing than it had from above. As the Kut-Ku turned its head to scan the ring, Riaku took note of its giant beak and swaying tail. Close combat would be a challenge against this monster, but there had to be a way he could break through to do some damage.

 _Let's see… I don't have Mikuna's speed, so I can't circle it. I also don't have Orman's power, so charging headfirst wouldn't do much good. My sword also has a much shorter reach than Rinko's…_

He pondered his options as he faced his opponent, which had yet to take notice of him. Then he realized something- he possessed one asset that the other three didn't.

"My shield…" Riaku thought aloud as readied his battle stance. "That's right, I don't need to keep my distance as long as I have something to block with."

He could picture a strategy already; he would attack from the monster's side, then retreat behind the shield when the Kut-Ku struck back. From there he might even be able to shield bash an opening to strike again. The young hunter nodded as if to agree with his own plan before he made his move.

Riaku took a deep breath before charging forward, his shield held at his side while the other hand tightly gripped the handle of his sword. He had only made a few strides forward before the bird wyvern noticed his presence and turned to face him. Luckily the beast didn't attack straight away, but instead paused as if to assess the situation. This opened a comfortable window of attack for Riaku, who instinctively pivoted once he was within sword's reach of the beast. With a quick spin he extended his sword arm, using the momentum from his movements to drive the blade toward its target.

The action was quick and precise, to such a point that even Riaku's eyes widened in surprise when the blade connected. A thin splash of dark blood erupted from where the sword's edge had pierced the side of the Kut-Ku's neck, the thin blade slicing through scales and muscle with ease until it met bone. Shocks ran up Riaku's arm as the sword bounced back from the hit, dislodging the blade at the same moment that Riaku recoiled in surprise. The other three had made fighting look easy, but Riaku was still sore from their earlier training- a fact that was now stressed by the renewed pain in his sword arm.

The Kut-Ku met the slash with a flinch, crying out loudly while shaking its large head.

"Damn good hit!" Instructor Koh yelled from above, shaking the fatigued hunter from his thoughts. "Don't let it recover, Riaku- go for another attack!"

"Right!" Riaku said as he readied his stance once more. He couldn't help but notice that his muscles, fueled by adrenalin and determination, moved as if on their own. Every opening that he saw was met with an attack that he had practiced during training earlier. Blood shot past him in wake of every slash, a crimson reminder of the sword's frightening sharpness.

Suddenly the Kut-Ku lowered its wingtips as it glared at Riaku, its left talon planting into the dirt while its right spread outward. Riaku recognized the stance and quickly extended his shield, bracing behind it with the sword readied at his side. As if on cue something large whipped against the steel barrier, pushing Riaku back a step as the Kut-Ku's barbed tail reflected off the defensive weapon. As soon as the tail had swung past him, Riaku burst forward from behind the shield, lashing out with his sword with a firm glare on his face. Several times the blade would bounce off of the Kut-Ku's boney frame, but Riaku slashed on regardless. He had somehow forged an advantage in the fight and wasn't about to let up on his quota now.

For a minute or so the exchange continued in this manner, with Riaku slashing out against the Kut-Ku's underside while fending off attacks with the brunt of his shield. From all accounts Riaku was winning the fight, and quickly at that. The Kut-Ku's movements were gradually becoming more labored as the battle stretched on, giving the impression that it wouldn't last much longer in this state.

 _I'm doing it…_ Riaku thought as his glare became a triumphant smirk, _I'm going to win and become a hunter!_

His thoughts drifted from the monster in front of him to other subjects, like the look on Gaia's face when he would return home as a tried-and-true monster hunter. The joy in her voice when he handed her the first of his quest reward money, or the pride in her smile when he donned the blue hunter's headband for the first time. Rinko would no longer be able to say that he wasn't cut out to be a hunter, and the whole village would finally know and respect his title as 'Riaku, the monster hunter from Pokke'.

Despite his headway in battle, however, there was one major mistake that Riaku was making. Any seasoned hunter knew that the only time to let your guard down was once the monster was confirmed dead. Becoming cocky and distracted near the end of a hunt had turned the tides of battle against many a hunter in the past, and now he was unknowingly repeating the same mistake.

Little did he know just how quickly the tables could turn on him.

Riaku made for another slash against the monster's shredded underside, his attack more direct and careless now that he was confident in his victory. However, in doing so he had forgotten to account for the long reach of the Kut-Ku's tail. The beast, although tired and wounded from battle, swiftly turned to its left. The result was a direct hit to Riaku's torso, an attack that caught the boy completely off-guard. His sapphire blue eyes widened in surprise as the Kut-Ku's red tail stuck his midsection with the force of a thrown log, sending the young hunter flying through the air before he even realized what had happened.

Riaku landed hard on his side, rolling several feet before he finally slid to a stop. The world was spinning around him as he slowly sat up and coughed, blinking repeatedly to clear his now blurry vision. By some miracle he had managed to hold onto his sword and shield, though he mentally cursed himself for letting his guard down like that.

Just as his vision was returning, a loud commotion from above caught his attention. He looked up to find that everyone was shouting at him with varying gestures of urgency, but he couldn't hear them over the ringing in his ears that he had gained when he collided with the ground.

"… _What_?" He asked as he tried to piece together what everyone was yelling at him. Finally one voice rose above the distant noise, a rushed feminine shout.

"Get out of the way! Riaku, MOVE!" It was Grace, her face red from all of her yelling as she pointed down into the pit across from Riaku. He followed her gesture until his eyes met the Kut-Ku that he had just been fighting-

And he froze.

The Kut-Ku was facing him, its wings held low as its gaping beak was aimed in his direction. Even from all the way across the arena, he could see it- a bright orange glow that was growing from the back of the beast's mouth.

It was going to shoot a fire ball.

Riaku stared at the heat that rose from the back of the Kut-Ku's maw and immediately began to shiver, tremors running from his head to his feet. In the back of his frantic mind he could feel the urge to move, to roll out of the way and avoid the attack; however, his body gave no response. He remained frozen in place, as if his fear had physically manifested and was now firmly holding him against the ground. His eyes were wide and dilated with fear as he stared on- though he wasn't seeing the Kut-Ku at all. Instead he saw ancient memories flash through his mind, unwanted but all too real.

He saw his old village in flames.

He saw dead bodies, mangled and burned, lining the streets.

A beast with glowing red eyes glaring at his mother's back as she fled.

His mother's lifeless blue eye staring at him as embers rained from the sky.

He could feel his strength leave his body at once, his sword and shield falling from his hands with a distant rattle. He could hear voices barraging him from above, but they hardly registered in his paralyzed mind- let alone pushed him any closer to avoiding the rapidly approaching flame.

"Move, what are you doing!?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? Get out of the way!"

"At least hold on to your shield!"

The fire from the Kut-Ku's throat was now fully formed in its beak. At any moment it would shoot forward and engulf its victim; and still, Riaku did nothing but stare with a pale face at his oncoming doom.

"Dammit!"

In a flash the figure of a person pounced onto the Kut-Ku's back from above, grabbing the bird wyvern by its large ears and forcibly turning its head to the left. No sooner had this happened the monster released the attack that it had initially aimed at Riaku. The ball of fire flew at a high speed toward the wall of the pit, where it exploded into cinders in a manner similar to Mikuna's fight.

Riaku stared at the burning dent in the wall, the realization that it could have easily been him taking that attack spurring his haphazard thoughts.

"What were you thinking, letting it have a clear shot at you like that!?" The outraged voice of Koh came from his left.

Riaku turned toward his instructor, who had now managed to rein the Kut-Ku into its cage and was currently slamming the metal grate shut.

"I-I don't… It just… Happened…" Riaku stuttered out, his head finally beginning to clear.

Koh turned toward Riaku with a glare on his scarred face.

"You were doing a fantastic job up until you froze like that." Koh said with a gruff voice, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry, instructor…"

The older man paused for a moment, sighed, then shook his head.

"Riaku, I'm afraid I can't allow you to become a monster hunter. Not after seeing _that_ display."

"What… W-What are you-"

"You fail. You're done. Finished."

Those words struck Riaku harder than the Kut-Ku's tail had. At once he was plunged back into reality, his previously petrified mind now soaking in the full effect of what had happened.

"I… Failed..?" Riaku whispered, but Koh was already climbing back up the wall to meet the other kids.

"For those of you who passed, come with me. It's time to discuss hunter-specific items like potions and whetstones." Koh said to the three who had been triumphant, never looking back at Riaku as he disappeared over the edge of the pit.

Mikuna spared just a glance at Riaku, her eyes indifferent, before she turned to follow her teacher. Meanwhile Orman and Rinko remained for a minute, staring at him with different expressions. Orman still looked confused, as if Riaku freezing up didn't yet register in his mind. Rinko on the other hand…

"I told you this would happen!" Rinko called down with a glare. "You should have just been a farmhand for the old lady, but instead you had to come make a fool of yourself in front of everyone."

Riaku couldn't even find the heart to respond. The pit in his stomach was still growing with the realization that he had failed, so he had yet to digest the embarrassment and shame that was pooling up in the back of his mind.

"Pathetic." Rinko spat as he turned to follow Mikuna, "You're just as pathetic as you've always been. Worthless bastard."

And with that, the two remaining trainees turned and walked from Riaku's sight. The young man looked down at the sword and shield that lie in the dirt beneath him.

 _I didn't pass… I couldn't overcome my fear at all_ … He thought as his vision began to blur with tears. _What the hell is wrong with me..?_

"Riaku…" A soft voice came from in front of him.

He looked up, not bothering to wipe the forming tears in his eyes. Before him stood Grace, who had entered the pit without his notice.

"Are you going to be okay..?" She asked with an empathetic look.

"Y-yeah… Yeah, I'll be fine." He answered with a sniff, wiping his face on his sleeve. "I just… Have to go. Thank you for your help today."

"Sure thing," She said, turning for the wall. "Also, you can keep the equipment if you'd like… I know how much being a hunter meant to you, so I won't be upset if you hold onto it."

"Thanks, Grace." He said, crouching down and gathering the sword and shield.

She nodded with a hum before climbing up the wall.

"See you around." She said before disappearing as the others had.

With no one else around, the ring fell silent. Riaku stared at the sword in his hand for several minutes before sheathing it and turning for the wall with a shake of his head. He slowly passed the training grounds, sparing a glance at the beaten dummies that he had been fighting just moments ago. He walked out from beneath the shadow of the great Hunter's Guild, his shoulders slumped and eyes trained on the ground in front of him.

He had failed… How was he going to tell Gaia about this? She was probably waiting for him at home with an expectant smile on her face. Would she be disappointed that he had lost his fight? No, knowing her she would probably be proud of him either way.

Somehow that didn't make him feel any better.

Riaku stopped walking and sighed, pausing right next to a popular tavern. Of course conversation was everywhere, but one nearby voice was exceptionally loud amongst the gathering.

"Yep, damn things are everywhere. Tore my crops half'ta shit. Probably gonna have to find a hunter to take care of 'em…"

At first Riaku didn't pay much attention to the gruff voice. He was still worried about Gaia, if not her reaction to the news then how they would get by without money from quests. Of course he could keep helping her tend to her plot, but that was barely enough to keep them both fed as it was.

"How're you gonna pay for a hunter to trek out there?" Came another voice, nearly as loud as the first. "I reckon they cost a pretty penny. Especially if it's a whole herd we're talking about."

Riaku once again sighed and made to continue on his way home. He would have to work twice as hard in order to make up for this, if not by working with Gaia then he would find another job at the Pokke farm or something. Whatever it took to make money…

"Hey now, the way I see it, anyone who's willing to take care of them bullfango for me is deserving of nice pay. After all, there ain't too many places to grow snow herbs 'round here, so they fetch a pretty decent price. I've got the money to spare on a hunter."

Riaku stopped in his tracks, his face rising as he realized that an opportunity had opened for him.

 _That guy has money… And all I have to do is run off the bullfango in his herb field_? Riaku thought, the sword pressing against his back giving him an idea.

"Uh, sir?" Riaku asked as he turned around and walked over to the group making all the noise.

"Huh?" The man grunted while turning to face Riaku. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with a tattered coat and an ill-kempt beard.

"You said you're having a bullfango problem, right? You need them out of your snow herb field?"

"That's right." The man said while crossing his arms. "What of it?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe _I_ could help you out." Riaku said as he pulled on the handle of his sword for emphasis. "That way you don't have to go through the hassle of setting up a request for the Guild to process."

"Hmm… You're a hunter, eh?" The man replied with a skeptical look. "You seem kinda young. And ain't that the equipment that the Guild provides for newbies?"

 _Crap, he might think I'm too inexperienced to handle the job… And if he finds out that I failed the academy there's no way he'll let me do this. I have to persuade him somehow…_ Riaku thought before getting an idea.

"Yeah, I'm pretty new, but a few bullfango are nothing I can't handle." Riaku said with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Besides, I won't charge you as much as a Guild hunter would… And I'd get to it faster, too. What do you say?"

Riaku held his hand out for the other to shake, hoping that he had done a good enough job of persuading him. The man stared at him with a furrowed brow for a moment, before belting out a hardy laugh.

"Alright then, you've got yourself a quest!" He answered with a firm handshake. "How's five-hundred zenny sound?"

It took a lot of self-control for Riaku not to seem surprised by the offer; five-hundred zenny was more than he and Gaia had ever held at any given time. With that much zenny they could buy a feast, and still have some money left over for home repair.

"That sounds great!" Riaku said with a smile, "Er- I mean, that will work."

Once more the man laughed, before releasing Riaku's hand and digging through a pocket in his trousers. He fished out a folded paper and wrung out the creases on a table before handing it to Riaku.

"This is a map of the mountains 'round here," He said while pointing at a marked red 'x', "And _this_ is my snow herb plot. Get those bullfango outta my hair and the zenny is yours. But if you fail, then don't bother coming back. I'll just put the money toward a Guild quest reward, got it?"

"Yes sir, I'll have it done before you know it!" Riaku said with a smile as he turned for the main gates for the village.

"Alright, good luck boy!" The man replied before turning back to his group.

Riaku immediately started running toward the village gates- he might have failed out of the hunter's academy, but maybe he could still make money for Gaia by doing village requests. The pay was good, and a few bullfango weren't anything he was particularly worried about fighting. After all, they didn't spit fire like the Kut-Ku did, so what could be so difficult about fighting them?

It wasn't long until Riaku had passed through the main gates and into the range of snowy mountains outside. The whole time he ran at a steady pace, the sword around his back bouncing with each step.

"Don't worry Gaia, I'm going to earn that band no matter what!" He said as he made his way into the world of monsters.

* * *

Riaku paused to catch his breath, his boots sinking in the light snow that covered this particular mountain. He had finally made it to where the 'x' was on the map, and now knew that the herb plot was just around the bend of the path in front of him. He paused to look back in the direction he had come from.

An hour of jogging had allowed him to cover a lot of ground, as there were several fields and forested hills between where he was now and the distant village of Pokke. Of course monsters became more frequent the further he got from the settlement, though so far he had yet to encounter anything more than popo and a few anteka- a deer-like monster that exclusively inhabited the snowy mountains.

Riaku pried his eyes from the beautiful landscape and instead directed his attention to the matter at hand. He was now about halfway up the mountain, which conveniently had a sloped path that led straight to today's hunting ground. He had stopped once he reached a bend in the path, and was now using it to hide from the bullfango that were currently in the plot.

There was no mistaking that the monsters were just ahead, as they made no attempt to be quiet while they rummaged through the field. A noisy assortment of grunts, snorts, and bellowing made their presence known to anything in the immediate area.

Riaku stashed the map away into his coat before turning to the bend ahead of him.

"Might as well see what I'm dealing with here…" He whispered to himself, before sneaking toward the rocky slope that divided him from his targets.

Once he was there he slowly peaked around the corner, moving just enough so that he could see the land in front of him. Just as the man had mentioned, it was a large plot for producing snow herb- though now most of the mint-green commodities were either uprooted or destroyed by the small group of beasts that remained there. The bullfango were a type of wild boar, covered with warts and coarse brown hair. Each wielded two curved tusks that protruded from the sides of their mouths, curving inward toward the end of their stubby snouts. Each had a stocky build and stood roughly four feet at their haunches, rummaging around atop four hooved legs covered with muscle.

 _So these are bullfango_ , then… Riaku thought as he sized up the four monsters that he was to kill. Judging by the looks of them, they probably attack by charging with those tusks… then trample whatever they connect with. _In that case I'll be doing a lot of dodging._

Before proceeding, Riaku took note of the field's surroundings. On the opposite side to him was a snowy slope leading toward the rest of the mountain, where he guessed the pigs had come from given the many tracks that it was covered in. Meanwhile, to his right there was a small shed and cart nestled into a hollow in the mountain's side. All that remained was the cliff to his left- the biggest foreseeable threat, as he was surely high enough to die if he were to fall.

 _They haven't noticed me yet, so I might as well catch them by surprise_ … Riaku thought as he set his eyes on the closest bullfango and unsheathed his sword. _Here we go!_

With a quick breath he dashed out from behind his cover and charged for the closest target. This particular bullfango was currently facing away from him, busy rooting through the snow. That made an easy opening for Riaku as he closed in on his target with his sword at the ready. At the last moment the bullfango turned a step to its left, exposing its side to the unforeseen threat. Riaku smirked as he caught the opportunity and unleashed a fierce side slash.

Unlike when he had fought the Kut-Ku earlier, his sword met no bone as he attacked- much the opposite, he carved into the beast's side with ease. A gush of blood and terrible squeal confirmed that he had made a clean cut, though he had no choice but to backstep as the boar sharply turned toward him with a thrash.

Riaku took a second to look past his current target at the rest of the field, and felt his smirk fade as he saw that he had caught the attention of the other three as well.

"The squeal must have alerted the others," Riaku thought aloud as he hunched down in a lunging stance, "Smart… I'll have to finish this one up before the others crowd around."

The bullfango directly in front of him lowered its broad head, its curved tusks aimed at Riaku as it pawed at the snow with its front right hoof. Riaku immediately recognized the hint at an oncoming charge and rolled out of the way, opting to evade rather than test his opponent's strength with his shield. As the boar plowed past him, a spray of white snow in its wake, Riaku lunged forward again with his sword. This time he caught the beast mid-turn, his sword hilting into the thick neck of the monster. With another unpleasant squeal the boar fell into the reddening snow.

Riaku began to smile at his successful kill, though that look was quickly wiped away when he noticed the other three were now pawing the ground in his direction as well, an indicator that he was about to be rushed by multiple enemies at once. His spirits fell even further when he noticed that his blade was still wedged into the first bullfango's neck, nestled in amongst gristle and muscle that was reluctant to release the weapon.

Riaku cursed as the first of the bullfango began its sprint in his direction, the hunter's blue eyes widening as he strained to retrieve his sword from its imprisonment. His anxiety rose higher as the monster drew closer at an impressive pace. With a growl of exertion Riaku firmly wrapped both hands around the sword's handle and pulled with all his might. Luckily the sword relented against his strain, flying free of the bullfango's neck with a spray of viscous maroon blood. Riaku stumbled backwards from the action just in time to watch a tawny brown blur rocket through the spot he had just been standing.

There wasn't enough time to sigh in relief before another opportunity for attack opened. The previously charging bullfango turned for another go at Riaku, but was met instead with a swift cut across its throat. Riaku smirked as he soared past the staggering monster, a momentary line of crimson tying the jugular of the bullfango to the tip of his silvery blade.

 _I guess I picked up a few things from the academy after all_ , he thought to himself, the memory of his earlier failure completely overshadowed by his growing confidence. Maybe, just maybe, he could make this hunting thing work out after all; of course it would have to be under-the-table work, and as such was much more legally risky as well as lesser paying. But hell, money was money right?

 _And besides_ , he thought as he pivoted to face the remaining bullfango, _it's obvious that I have a talent for this- otherwise killing these guys would be much more difficult._

That sentiment was a growing flame within his chest, a confidence that swelled within him as if his dream had been given a second chance.

Once Riaku had turned to face his other two adversaries he was met with an interesting sight. Rather than paw the ground in his direction or grunt aggressively, the bullfango before him seemed nervous; one shook its head as it stamped the snow uncertainly, while the other had turned to favor the mountain path from which they came.

 _That's right- the quest wasn't to kill them all, just to run them off the plot. In that case, I'll wrap this up quickly so I can get the money sooner. Gaia and I will have a feast tonight!_

His mind was momentarily filled with thoughts of roasted meat, seasoned with mountain herbs and served with sparkling cider. A fresh loaf of bread smothered in butter, an undeniable improvement over the stale stuff they'd been living off to this point. The thought made his mouth water, but was nothing compared to the joy he felt when he imagined Gaia's smile. She likely hadn't had a good meal since before her husband died, so this was certain to mean even more to her.

 _Soon_ , he thought with an inward smile, _but first I have to scare these pigs off._

"That's right, get out of here!" He yelled across the plot, his voice echoing off the rocky surroundings. "Don't make me finish you off myself! Go on!"

As the boars took tentative steps away from him he sheathed his sword and waved them off with his open hand. For a few moments it seemed that his threats were working as the beasts, albeit slowly, were backing off from the small field. However, Riaku soon got the feeling that something wasn't right. The bullfango had begun to sniff the air with their stout noses, their eyes occasionally leaving the hunter in favor of the path behind him. He momentarily pondered what they were sensing, but decided to think nothing of it.

 _Probably just an anteka or something following the path_ , he thought with annoyance, _why don't they just leave already? I'm getting tired of waiting on them… If they don't move soon then I'll have to kill them after all._

With that as his motivation, he gave one last warning to the hogs.

"I'll really kill you if you don't leave!" He shouted, knowing that they couldn't understand him but hoping that the noise would scare them off. "Do you want to end up like your two friends there? If not then you'd better-"

The hunter cut himself short as he felt the presence of something else approaching him from behind. At first it had been rustling in the snow at the head of the trail, but had now escalated into a soft cracking sound as the fresh snow was being compacted by a series of growing thuds. Riaku immediately recognized the thuds as footsteps- or rather, hoofsteps- and immediately turned to see what was coming toward him.

What he saw caused his heart to drop.

It barreled toward him at an impressive pace, its muscular legs tearing through the snow without issue. Two large, twisted tusks curved inward from the edges of its mouth, much larger than those of the bullfango he had just been fighting. In fact, _everything_ about this creature was larger than the bullfango, despite them sharing a nearly identical appearance.

There was no mistaking it. The giant boar that was throwing itself at Riaku was a bulldrome.

With widening eyes Riaku made to roll out of the beast's path, but could only make it a few feet before the incredible speed of his charging foe clipped his side with one of its tusks. As a result Riaku was thrown into the snow, rolling several feet before coming to a stop. His head was spinning, and loose snow now filled every gap between his coat and his skin, lighting his body up with an icy discomfort.

 _Damn it_ … Riaku thought as he forced himself to his feet, _that old man never mentioned a bulldrome!_

True enough, the drunken farmer from the pub had failed to mention that the bullfango in his plot had a leader. If he had, Riaku might have reconsidered taking the quest, but it was too late for what-ifs now.

The young hunter slowly unsheathed his sword, the scabbard releasing the iron blade with a low hiss. All the while Riaku studied the bulldrome- for the most part it looked just like the bullfango at either of its sides, though the size difference was outstanding. It towered above its comrades as it shook its tusks aggressively, pawing at the snow in Riaku's direction. The only other defining characteristic it possessed was the spiky mane of white hair that ran from its shoulders down its back. Riaku had heard once that the longer the hair was, the stronger the bulldrome. The mane was a testament of sorts to how long the beast had lived as the leader of its herd.

Riaku eyed the silvery hair that stood like bristles on its back. If what they said was true, then this was bound to be one tough opponent.

The field was quiet save for the grunting of the herd. Riaku felt nervous sweat trail from the brim of his cap down to his neck. This wouldn't be as easy as the bullfango he had just been fighting… He was no longer dealing with a small monster, after all, but rather a large monster recognized by the guild to be a challenge. If this were a guild quest it would likely be placed in the two-star difficulty range, in the same league as something like a kut-ku. The only saving grace was that the bulldrome couldn't spit fire at him.

The giant boar's sunken eyes remained trained on Riaku's, and there was a moment of tense stasis between them. Then, out of nowhere, it began.

The bulldrome threw its head upward with a deep bellow, then charged at Riaku with a lowered head. At the speed it was going it could easily impale him on one of the tusks, but Riaku knew from his earlier interaction that he couldn't dodge quickly enough to fully avoid them. That left one other option.

With a grimace, Riaku hunkered down behind his shield and braced for the impact. A second of tense suspension passed, then a powerful blow rocked against the iron dome in his hands. Riaku's feet were tilled through the snow as a loud crash erupted from the field, the boar's tusks denting the barrier with a flash of sparks.

Not wasting a moment, Riaku put his training into practice and pulled the shield toward him before throwing his full weight against it. The result was a metallic slam against the side of the bulldrome's head, which momentarily stunned the creature as it grunted in pain.

Riaku seized the opportunity to lash out with his sword, leaving a barrage of thin cuts against his enemy's throat and shoulder. He noticed as he attacked that his sword wasn't cutting as deep as it had against the bullfango, probably due to the bulldrome's thicker hide. It was an inconvenience, but Riaku continued to slash out until two other sets of gaining footsteps caused him to withdraw behind his shield once more.

Two powerful, albeit smaller, impacts rocked against the shield in his hand, reminding him that the bullfango from earlier were back in the fight. He made to shield bash again, but froze when there was resistance. He tugged on the handle of his shield, but for some reason it didn't move towards him. He cocked an eyebrow and looked down, then gasped at what he saw.

Two large, curved tusks were protruding from beneath the shield, their twisted ends hooked onto its inside. Riaku stared at the tusks for but a second before the tides of battle were suddenly shifted against him. In one fluid, seamless movement the tusks flipped upward, tearing the shield from Riaku's grasp and sending it flipping through the air. It landed several yards away where it was immediately lodged into the snow. Riaku stared at it in shock before turning back toward the fight.

No sooner had he faced the bulldrome again he was met by a powerful uppercut from the beast's thrashing tusks. The motion sent Riaku flying through the air before he could even recognize what was happening. Luckily he came to his senses before hitting the ground and shifted his weight to land on his feet. Once he landed he immediately meant to dash for the discarded shield, but froze as the two bullfango charged his way.

Riaku cursed before turning toward them with his sword in a blocking stance. This worked well in the case of the first bullfango, who sent him stumbling backward but otherwise unscathed, though the second impact carried with it an unfortunate familiarity. Just as his shield was thrown from his grasp, the bullfango tucked its tusks under the sword's blade before throwing its head upward, sending the sword flying in a similar manner.

And just like that, Riaku was left helpless.

His widened blue eyes sought out his lost equipment as it lay in the distant snow. His panicking mind was torn between rushing after the sword and shield to continue the fight, or cutting his losses and running away. It was a battle between pride and necessity, with several unfavorable variables tossed in. Would he have time to reclaim his weapons before the next charge came? If so, what were the chances that he could still come out of this fight victorious? After all, he was only doing minimal damage to the bulldrome, not to mention the two remaining bullfango who were, if nothing else, a dangerous distraction. If he chose to flee from the fight, could he really outrun his enemies? What if-

The thought was caught short as Riaku learned another pivotal lesson. One that any seasoned monster hunter knew.

You never hesitate during a fight- and you certainly don't lose yourself in thought at times like these.

The sounds of another charge snapped Riaku from his thoughts, causing him to turn just in time to see the top of the bulldrome's head, its tusks low and ready to strike. Riaku had no time to dodge, and even if he had, there was no window to do so. Not with the bullfango to his left in right.

With another curse, Riaku buckled down and crossed his forearms in front of him, backing his block with every ounce of his weight. Of course he knew it wasn't much of a defense- after all, if the bulldrome could toss his metal shield through the air as if it were nothing, surely his arms stood no chance. Still, he forced his eyes shut and clenched his teeth with a grimace.

Then, before he knew it, he was in the air.

Riaku cried in pain and shock as his arms were forced apart, exposing his midriff to the side of the bulldrome's thrashing tusks. The result was a hit that not even twenty grown men could match. The young hunter was sent spiraling and spinning, flipping and thrashing through the air before finally making contact with the snowy ground. It was icy cold to the point of burning, but Riaku knew to be thankful. After all, had it not been for the heavy snow, he might have died upon impact. Instead he was sent rolling before sliding on his front across the pure white surface.

With a shaky exhale he opened his eyes to find that the world was a spinning blur around him. It took him a moment to realize that he was still moving backwards- although he was no longer sliding. Another moment passed before he noticed that the blow had sent him toward the edge of the cliff- and a third moment revealed to him why he was still in motion despite laying still.

It wasn't _him_ that was moving- it was the snow around him.

For the umpteenth time that fight Riaku's blue eyes shot open in shock. Having grown up in the mountains he was all-too familiar with what was happening. It was a snowslide- the beginnings of a potential avalanche.

Riaku looked at the cliff behind him and gasped before desperately clawing at the snow in front of him, fighting to move beyond the shifting ground before it could dump him off the side of the cliff as well. Unfortunately it seemed that the more he fought, the faster he was pulled toward the edge- until suddenly there was nothing beneath his legs anymore.

With a cry of terror and a desperate attempt to grab anything near him, Riaku was dropped off the side of the mountain. Wind rushed past him as snow fell around him, his momentary weightlessness a promise that he wouldn't survive the forthcoming impact.

It seemed his end was quickly approaching, until a lucky hand from fate delayed his inevitable death. His body jerked to a stop as something wrapped around his right wrist, causing him to spring back upward a bit before colliding with the edge of the cliff. Large chunks of snow and dirt fell around him, pelting his shoulders as he lowered his head. Once the falling debris had stopped raining down, he looked up to see what his hand had latched onto.

His savior was a fir sapling, large enough not to break from his grasp but small enough to be pliable. The small tree had somehow sprouted from a gap in the rocky face of the cliff, and despite the odds had rooted and grown there.

Riaku grinned up at his savior for a moment, though the look faded into a sad smile as he realized that it was a temporary fix. Before long his arm would get tired, and he was positive that nobody would pass through in time to save him. He looked around for a way to climb back to the field, but was met with nothing but steep, slick rock and the occasional stalactite of an icicle.

 _So this is it_ , He thought with teary eyes, _this is how I go… Not as a hero, surrounded by money and fame- not as a hunter who dies valiantly on the battlefield, but as a stupid kid. As someone who never achieved anything. All because of my fear of fire… Of my weakness._

He lowered his eyes to the fall before him, to the beautiful tops of evergreens adorned in icy snow. Maybe if he was lucky the canopy of trees below could catch him, though he knew that thought was hopeful at best. From this height he was guaranteed death…

For a moment he pondered voluntarily letting go. He could die here and now, on his own terms. However, one thought kept him from following through.

It was Gaia.

She had worked so hard for so long just to keep him alive. Even with the odds stacked against him like this she would want him to fight, to hold on. If there was even a sliver, a microcosm of a chance that he could survive, she would expect him to take it.

He chuckled as his body swayed in the chilly mountain breeze.

"Okay Gaia… Just for you."

Still, minutes stretched into what felt like hours and he continued to have no way of escaping the situation. His arm was growing shaky and sore, while his resolve was quickly being eroded by the circumstances.

As his grasp slipped from his palm into his fingertips, he sighed in defeat. It was pointless. He mentally readied himself for the fall ahead of him, but then he heard something. A sound that would normally aggravate him, but in these circumstances caused hope to swell within his chest.

It was the sound of human voices- familiar ones at that. Voices that belonged to the bullies he had known for most of his life.

"… The tracks lead here. We must be getting close."

It was a strong male voice, wielding the confidence and experience of a leader.

 _Rinko..?_

"You think so? We've been tracking this thing for what feels like forever…"

Less certain, but agreeable and whiny.

 _Orman…_

"Wait, look over there. Someone has been here already."

A cool feminine voice, seldom heard.

 _Mikuna._

"You're right… Two dead bullfango and quite a bit of blood. Another hunter?" Rinko asked.

"Absolutely," Mikuna replied, "and look there, they left their weapons."

"That's not good," Orman said with uncertainty, "Do you think they..?"

Riaku's grasp began to slip from the sapling, but he couldn't give up. Not now that there was a way out of the situation. He quickly reached up and grabbed hold with his other hand, hoisting himself upward as far as he could.

He momentarily paused to reconsider asking for their help. He knew that by doing this he would be opening himself to a barrage of harassment, but it was a small price to pay if it meant his life.

"H-Hey! I'm down here!"

His yell echoed off the cliff face and silenced the other three voices.

"Wait a minute…" Rinko began after a second, "That voice, and those weapons… Is that really you, Haidoji?"

Riaku grunted with effort as his grip once more began to slip down his handhold.

"Yes!" He shouted, "Help… Please! I can't hold on forever,"

Another second passed before three familiar faces peaked down from over the cliff.

"I'll be damned," Riaku said with a shake of his head, "How in the hell did you wind up in this mess?"

"So it was you that killed those bullfango?" Orman added on.

"Guys, please…" Riaku growled through his teeth, "Can you help me up? I'll do anything!"

Mikuna and Rinko exchanged glances.

"Can't we just..?"

"No, Rinko." Mikuna answered bluntly, "Being a hunter means more than slaying monsters. It means helping people, no matter how foolish they might be."

She looked back down at Riaku as she said the last part. He was certain that if his face hadn't already been red from exertion, it would have taken on that color out of embarrassment.

There was another moment of silence before Rinko sighed.

"Fine. I think I saw some rope in that cart over there. Orman, go get it."

Orman nodded then disappeared, only to return a moment later with a length of rope. Riaku took it before tossing one end down, which Riaku strained to grab with both hands.

"Alright, pull!"

At that command the rope began to lurch upward in increments. The whole time Riaku silently hoped that the ancient rope wouldn't snap and send him to his doom. Luckily he reached the brim of the cliff without issue, and quickly pulled himself onto the ledge with trembling arms. Once he was safely atop the mountain again he rolled onto his back and began catching his breath, closing his eyes as his chest rose and lowered shakily.

His eyes shot open again when a swift kick met his side, causing Riaku to flinch in surprise and roll over.

"What are you doing up here, huh Haidoji?" Rinko asked with a glare as another one of his kicks met Riaku's side. "Don't tell me you took a quest after all? _Our_ quest? You know that's illegal, right? What, are you above the law or something? Think you can skirt the rules? Huh? Is that right, _Haidoji_?"

Two more kicks. Pain lit up in Riaku's back as he curled into a ball against the assault.

"Rinko, enough!" Mikuna demanded, freezing Rinko as he prepared for another attack.

"What, you don't agree?" Rinko asked incredulously, "You know what he did was wrong, Mikuna, so don't stop me!"

Another kick. Riaku cried out in pain.

"I said _enough_." Mikuna shot back, ice in her voice as she stepped forward. "Of course what he did was wrong, but that doesn't mean that _you_ can be the one to punish him. He almost _died._ Don't you think that's enough of retribution for his actions?"

Rinko glared at her for a moment before turning and spitting on Riaku's coughing form.

"… You're lucky we came to kill that bulldrome," He said venomously, "And you're lucky that Mikuna is here. You could have fallen off that cliff for all I care."

Rinko suddenly turned away, but paused before walking off.

"Don't ever let me catch you doing this shit again. If you do, I swear I'll turn you in. What then?] Good luck supporting Gaia without your freedom."

Without another word he began walking away, following the small trail of blood that led past the field.

"Let's go, Orman." Mikuna said after a moment, not sparing a look at Riaku as he slowly began picking himself off the ground.

"R-Right."

With that, Riaku was left alone. The howling wind was the only sound that consoled him as he shakily got to his feet and dusted the snow off of himself. For a moment he stood silently and stared at his weapons, still half-buried in the snow. He debated on whether or not he should ever hold them again, but with a sniff decided that he should hold onto them. At least for now.

Once he had gathered his belongings he began the long trek home. It was all the more difficult given his exhaustion and physical condition- both after the fight with the bulldrome and the barrage of kicks that Rinko had left him with.

After a while of walking tears began to blur the young hunter's vision. Not long after that his breath began to hitch and shake with emotion. Soon after he could barely even walk. As he exited an evergreen forest and emerged into an open field he fell to his hands and knees, sobbing into the dirt.

"Worthless…" He murmured as his forehead met the grass beneath him, "Weak… Pathetic…"

He suddenly threw his head upward, unleashing all of his feelings into a distraught scream.

" _Why can't I ever do anything right!?_ "

His voice echoed around him, repeating the statement to him at varying levels of volume. Tears continued to stream down his face. All he wanted to do was to make something of himself, to support Gaia. To prove to everyone that he wasn't some wimpy bastard… And yet here he was, alone and torn up, without a cent or merit to his name.

He cried alone in that field for a while before the sound of a footstep in the forest behind him caused him to tense up.

 _Don't tell me they're back from killing the bulldrome already..?_

Fearing that the trio would return to see him in this condition, Riaku quickly sniffed and stood up, wiping his eyes as he looked into the forest behind him. By this point the sun had begun to set, casting shadows through the woods that fogged his ability to see well. He scanned the foliage for a moment before deciding that he must be hearing things.

 _Oh, well_ … He thought with another sniff, _I guess I should go meet with Gaia. She's probably waiting for me… God, how am I going to tell her about this?_

With a sigh Riaku continued on his journey toward the gates of Pokke, thinking through what to say to his adoptive mother when he got there. With his slumped shoulders to the forest he failed to see a pair of bright red eyes spying on him from behind a tree.

The eyes narrowed as a pale hand gripped the bark.

"Riaku Haidoji…" A soft voice whispered, masked perfectly by a sudden breeze through the fir canopy above.

The eyes studied him as he walked away, sighing and speaking under his breath. Another breeze flowed through, a drift of snow momentarily masking the eyes as they remained fixed on Riaku. By the time the loose snow had passed, the figure had also vanished from sight.

"I've finally found you."

* * *

 **There it is, chapter four of this story. When I started this fic Monster Hunter wasn't at all popular here in the US. However, with the release of MH: World it seems that there has been an exponential growth of fans here in the States. Hopefully some of them will come across this very story.**

 **Thanks as always for reading, please consider leaving me a review if you have the time.**

 **-S/L**


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